


A Saviour At Last

by KyleHowlett29



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Homeless, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Pietro Maximoff Feels, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:54:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 68,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29463837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyleHowlett29/pseuds/KyleHowlett29
Summary: Pietro Maximoff is a homeless young man with nowhere to go. One day, he ventures into a cafe and meets a man who will change his life forever.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Pietro Maximoff
Comments: 9
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

The American winters were always harsh, and no one in their right mind would ever stay out in it too long.

For young Pietro Maximoff, he had no choice. And so, here he was. Pietro walked down the streets of some American city he didn't know the name of. Harsh wind and biting frost ate at his skin, and the only thing he had for protection was a thin jacket over his shoulders. It was worn and did nothing against the cold. His sneakers had holes beginning to form from all the walking. His trousers were ripped and dirty and thin. He may as well have been walking around naked. But he had no other choice. With nowhere to go, his only choice was the streets. And so he fought his way through the harsh wind and struggled his way into a coffee shop.

The young Sokovian sighed out in relief as the warm coffee scented air hit his face. He looked up and around at the relatively empty shop and decided to sit down. He just needed somewhere to rest, to warm up.

Pietro walked over to an empty booth at the back of the cafe, his arms tightly around his torso in an attempt to keep what body heat he had. God, how he wished he could buy a coffee. 

He sat down on the seat, a sigh leaving his lips at how comfy the leather felt against his muscles. It definitely beat some cardboard in a dark alleyway. The young boy relaxed happily into the seat, and almost fell asleep. Of course the warm and relaxing smell in the shop didn't help matters.

"Excuse me, sir? Can I get you anything?" A voice startled the young Sokovian from his half-slumbering state.

"I-" Pietro started, his voice cracking from going so long without any use. He clears his throat softly, looking up to look at the man who woke him up. He had a tight dark purple shirt on under the green apron. His had short, soft looking blond hair and bright blue but tired looking eyes. His name tag read 'Clint'. Pietro had practically forgotten whatever he was gonna say.

"Well?" The man asked, his pen and note pad at the ready. Pietro cleared his throat, looking down as he scratched at his growing beard awkwardly and mentally prepared himself to be thrown out of the shop.

"I... Well, I don't have any money. I just needed somewhere to go.." He whispered, waiting to be grabbed and pushed back through the door into the harsh cold. Instead, the man kneeled down, looking at the boy before him. His eyes travelled over the frail body, studying the clothes and look on the face of the man, his long and scruffy hair brown hair, and matching facial hair. He then stood back up, writing down on his notebook.

"That's one hot chocolate, one ham and cheese sandwich, a serving of our soup of the day and a brownie." He nodded, tucking the pen into the pocket of his apron. Pietro stared at the blond, utterly confused.

"But, I just said-"

"I know what you said, kid." The man then turned and walked off back to the counter to sort out the order.

The young man could only stare before looking down at his lap, trying to think over what just happened. It was unexpected, to say the least.

Pietro sighed, leaning back in his seat and curling up to warm himself up. His arms wrap around his torso, his eyes closed and he almost fell asleep again. The place was just so comfy.

After a few minutes of dozing, the man came back over. Pietro opened his eyes quickly and sat up, mumbling an apology. The blond man simply smirked and set down the tray on the table with everything he had said on it. Pietro's eyes widened, glistening as he stared at the meal before him.

"I can't remember the last time I ate something so..." He trailed off for a moment to think, "clean." He chuckled quietly. The man smiled a little and laughed. He then took a seat opposite the Sokovian, leaning into the table.

"I bet, since I'm guessing you've been eating out of the bins for a while.." He raised an eyebrow in question, staring at the man on the other side of the table. The younger male glanced down at the food, not sure out to reply. So he decided to stay silent and began his feast. He was soon wolfing it down, devouring the food in mere minutes. Clint only watched with a small smile. "Slow down, kid. You'll make yourself sick.." He warns but to no avail. The kid continued to eat the food fast, taking only a small break to mumble a food-filled-mouthed apology and continued eating. Clint laughed softly. It was kind of cute. "So how long have you been on the streets?" He asked after a moment. Pietro stopped and swallowed his food, sipping the chocolate the help it down his throat.

"Well... I was kicked out when I was 15... And I'm almost 20 now, soo.." He thinks for a moment, "4 years, and 9 months." He nodded and went back to his food quickly. Clint's eyes widened as he heard those words. He frowned and looks over the kid. He didn't see why anyone would want to kick him out! He was adorable and seemed nice enough.

"What's your name?" Pietro looked at the blond, hesitant. He mentally shrugged, seeing that he had nothing to lose.

"Pietro." He answered, wiping his lips with a napkin gently. Clint nodded slightly, taking in the name.

"Well, I'm Clint. And you can come back anytime you're hungry or lonely.." He then stood up, looking down at Pietro as he brushed his apron down. "I don't work Sundays or Wednesday, but other than that I'm usually here.." He flashed a grin at the snowy haired male before walking off back to work. Pietro couldn't help the blush that spread over his cheeks as he watched the other male walk away. He smiled to himself slightly, feeling tears in his eyes. No one had ever been this generous to him. He then sighed happily and went back to eating, leaving a little bit of change on the table for Clint after he finished his food. It was the least he could do. He then tugged his thin jacket over his shoulders and began to walk out of the shop as the place began closing.

As he reaches the door he turned back to look into the shop, looking over at Clint. The blue-eyed male was currently cleaning down tables, but he glanced up at the young boy by the door. He sent over a smile before he continued with his cleaning. Pietro smiled happily to himself and walked out into the wintery cold, hugging his jacket as he walked away to try and find a good place to sleep for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a couple of days before Pietro went back to the café. He had forgotten how to get there for starters, but he also couldn't go back there like some sort of beggar. It just wasn't right, despite how hungry he was.

He remembered not to go back on a Wednesday. He wouldn't go there unless Clint was there.

Thursday afternoon, Pietro walks in through the door, the bell ringing above his head to signify his arrival. A few people looked up, but paid no mind to the boy and went back to their chatter. The Sokovian looked around for Clint, seeing him talking to a customer as he took their order. Pietro smiled to himself and walked over to the same seat he had sat in last time. Luckily, today wasn't as cold as the past few days or so, but it still wasn't warm. It was bearable though. Pietro sighed and fiddled in his pocket for a moment. He pulled out a few coins he had managed to collect. It was enough to buy some coffee if he was lucky, possibly a biscuit at a push. He frowned a little and leaned back in the seat, recounting the money over and over for a few minutes.

"Pietro?" A familiar voice asked in surprise. The young Sokovian looked up quickly, smiling awkwardly at the older male.

"Hey..." He said giving a small wave. Clint's surprise turned into joy almost as he realised the young boy cam back.

"I didn't think you'd come back.." Pietro frowned.

"Why wouldn't I?" Clint only smiled and shook his head.

"Never mind. Anyways, what can I get you?" He asked, lifting the note pad, pen at the ready. Pietro looked down at his hand and lifted the money.

"Whatever I can buy with this.." He shrugged, not minding as long as he had some food. Clint raised an eyebrow at the money before shaking his head and writing down an order.

"I'll be back now." And with that, he walked off and went back to the front desk to get the order. Pietro frowned in confusion, honestly a little scared as to what the other had written down. He leans back nonetheless, trying to relax. He turned his attention to the window and watched as the world went by. He enjoyed watching people live their lives, be happy with their families. It upset him sometimes, but over the years he just sort of.. got used to it.

Clint came back over after a little while, a coffee and some soup with bread on the side. He smiled at the other and set the plate and cup down.

"Here you go." He stood back up and brushed his hair back, his muscles flexing under the tight shirts. Pietro blinked out of his trance and looked at the food.

"Uh... Thank you.." He said quietly, quickly digging into his pocket for the money. Clint reached down though and grabbed his wrist, his chest pressed against the table.

"No... Don't worry about the money, it's on me.." He gave the other a soft smile but didn't move away. Pietro could only stare into the blue eyes of the other male, lost in the ocean of swishing blues mixed with hints of green. Pietro gave a weak nod, averting his gaze to look at the food.

"Thank you.." He whispered. "You don't know how much it means to me." Clint only chuckled and finally pulled back, his touch lingering on the other's wrist.

"You don't have to thank me so much. I want to do this." And with that, he walked off to continue with his job. Pietro lifted his head, watching the blond walk away. He glanced back at the food and almost felt the need to cry. He didn't know how long this would last, but he was grateful for it. He was grateful for any type of food in front of him nowadays.

He hesitantly began to eat the food, slower than last time since he didn't want to look unmannered in front of the others. His clothes didn't help his appearance and he didn't need to act like an animal just to add to people's prejudice thoughts.

He finished the food rather quickly, however, and was now sipping on his almost finished coffee as he stared into the café.

He jumped as a hand reached in front of him, but relaxed as he realised it was only Clint taking his plate.

"Are you finished with that?" He asked, gesturing towards the cup in the Sokovian's hands. Pietro looked down at the liquid, there was barely enough to cover the bottom.

"Uh.. yeah.." Clint nodded and took the cup, walking off to take the dishes to some backroom, presumably the kitchen. It didn't take long for him to come back over though. He sat down opposite Pietro just as he had done before, a tubbed sandwich and a cup of black coffee He smiled at the younger one and leaned back in his chair. Pietro only stared in confusion. Clint chuckled.

"I'm on a break so I thought I'd keep you company. I have nothing else to do." He shrugged as if it was no big deal, settling into his seat which told Pietro that he wasn't leaving anytime soon. Not that he wanted him to. He was grateful for a bit of company.

"People will judge you," Pietro said, glancing down at the food Clint was beginning to unpack.

"You seem like a decent guy, so I don't care." He flashed a charming smile at the Sokovian and began eating his sandwich. Pietro could only stare at the man before looking down again once he felt his eyes burn with unshed tears. He quickly reaches up, wiping them away before they could fall before looking out of the window.

"I've never met anyone as nice as you... I don't know how to thank you enough." He murmured, his accent thickening as a lump formed in his throat. He heard Clint pause in his eating before setting the sandwich down. He reached over, the younger of the two jumping as he felt a hand on his forearm; his head whipping back to look at the cafe worker. The blond in front of him gave him a soft smile, but a serious expression on his face.

"You don't have to thank me. You seem like a nice kid, and no one deserves to be thrown on to the street. Especially not so young. I want to help you.." He said, his thumb rubbing over the pale skin of the Sokovian. Pietro stared into the blue eyes staring at him softly with only a look of care and sympathy. He gave a tentative smile before looking down at the hand still on his wrist, biting his lip gently. Clint soon pulled his hand back though, and Pietro quickly began missing the warmth but said nothing as the other got back to his meal.

~•~•~•~•~  
For the next month and a half, Pietro kept coming back to the cafe and Clint always bought him his meal. The visits started out as only once a week, but after the third week, they became more frequent. Twice a week, three times a week and soon Pietro was there every day apart from Sundays and Wednesdays. As the time when on, Pietro started to look more healthy. Or at least he gained a little weight, he was still pale and the bags under his eyes didn't ease. He would chat with Clint, quiet and little reserved but he opened up a little to the other man.

One day Clint had asked why he had been thrown out, but Pietro had closed up so quickly he had taken it back and changed the topic. They never really talked about their pasts, and it was usually Clint doing the talking, complaining about customers that had been particularly tricky that day. The Sokovian had learned that the other had no family, no wife or kids. At least not presently, and that he was living in a small apartment near the cafe with his dog, an old golden lab named Lucky. Pietro had briefly mentioned his sister, twin, in fact, called Wanda but got not much further. Clint didn't miss the sad smile that appeared on his face as he mentioned his sibling.

It was a Saturday, the cafe was quiet as it was later afternoon, bordering on evening at 5:53 pm.

Pietro had just finished his chicken soup and coffee while Clint had been cleaning over the tables. It was almost the end of his shift so he had been instructed to clean before the evening shift started. He had cleared away cups and plates that had been left and soon he had made his way over to Pietro to do the same, just like he had done every single time the young brunette had come to the cafe. The Sokovian gave a mumbled thank you before glancing outside of the window. The snow had begun making an attack on the citizens of the America town, which he had now learned was called New York. It had been only light at first, stopping and coming randomly but it would melt quickly. Pietro always managed to find shelter from it by staying under a bridge that carried a road on over a small ditch. But he had been kicked out a couple of days ago and no the snow was practically a blizzard. It covered the roads and paths quickly, devouring the land as people rushed out in thick coats and scarfs, some wearing hats and even earmuffs. It honestly scared the young man. His thick coat had been stolen last year and now he had nothing, no protection from anything liked this. A dark and sad part of him hoped it would kill him in his sleep. He could barely see out of the window with how thick it was, and Pietro honestly thought he wouldn't even make it to a good sleeping place.

The Sokovian gave a heavy sigh before standing up, zipping up his jacket and pulling up his hood. He glanced around the practically empty shop before ducking his and making his way to the door. Just as he opened the door, the harsh and fast wind hit him in the face like a smack harsh smack that gave him a sense of de ja vu. He flinched back, shivering already as the snow began collecting over his shoulders. He was just about to step out before a firm hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back with a gasp. The brunet stumbled back but was caught before he could fall. He blinked away his confusion before looking up and blushing darkly when he saw Clint above him, holding him by his sides. The man had a concerned frown on his face before he let him stand up on his own again. He quickly turned the younger around to face him, glancing up at the snow through the glass of the door before looking back at Pietro.

"You can't seriously be going out in that, right?" Pietro blinked at the question before giving a frown of his own.

"Your shift is ending soon, I'd probably just be kicked out and it's not like I can stay here for the night. So yes, I am." He answered with a small huff, a little annoyed but it was only because he was scared. Clint's frown deepened as he glanced again at the terrible weather. He then looks down at the homeless boy, giving him a quick order to stay out before walking off again. Pietro didn't have a chance to ask why so he just stayed put, shuffling his feet nervously as he stood by the door.

Within around a couple of minutes, Clint came back over, his apron gone and leaving him in his dark blue shirt and black jeans. He was now carrying a rather warm looking jacket which he was putting on as he walked towards the other and Pietro faintly heard the sound of keys jingle. Without saying a word he took a hold of the kid's wrist and dragged him outside. Pietro flinched again but didn't say anything as he was pulled along. They walked down the street only about 6-8 steps and stopped in front of an old looking black car. It wasn't anything big or expensive, in fact, it looked rather beat up but it looked like it worked. By now it was covered in a layer of snow only about 4 cm. The blond opened the passenger side down and gestured for the other to get in. Pietro stared at Clint in confusion but once the older gestured again more firmly Pietro nodded slowly and got inside after dusting off the snow as well as he could. Clint shut the door harshly before getting in, not bothering with the snow covering him. Still not saying anything he did up his belt and started up the car, quickly turning on the heater. Pietro felt his heartbeat against his chest in a fast rhythm, not understanding why Clint had just dragged him into his car. A million different theories passed through his mind as Clint looked over and told him to do up his belt. The Sokovian nodded numbly, pulling the belt over his body and clipping it in as the man next to him started up the car and began driving.


	3. Chapter 3

About 5 minutes in to the drive, Pietro's heart had finally begun to calm down a little. The heat was very welcoming for the young man and he relaxed into the car seat.

"Where are we going...?" He asked after a short moment, quietly looking out of the window next to him. He couldn't remember the last time he was inside a car...

"I'm taking you to my place. I'm not gonna let you stay out in this weather and freeze to death, so you can live with me." Clint said as if it was an everyday thing. Pietro stared at the man and he thought he may have given himself whiplash with how quickly he turned his head.

"W... what..?!" The young brunet exclaimed. Clint glanced at him before quickly looking back at the road.

"You heard me." He shrugged. Pietro felt at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say, what could he say? Thank you wouldn't be enough, but he also wanted to ask why. In the end, he just said nothing and looked out of the window again.

The drive to the other man's apartment was quick and before Pietro knew it he was standing nervously in the doorway of Clint's apartment as the blond got attacked by the golden lab he had heard so much about. Glancing around, the young Sokovian could see the place was decent. It looked like something someone would be able to afford with an average job like a cafe worker. The furniture wasn't anything special, and it mostly looked second hand or at least well used, but comfy all the same. It was clean enough to look pleasant but not like he spent all of his spare time cleaning. There was an empty pizza box on the table next to the sofa which once Clint was free he hastily put away with a muttered apology. The young male thought the place looked like heaven to him, after years of living on the streets anywhere with a roof would look like paradise.

Pietro was so caught up in admiring the apartment that he didn't notice Lucky suddenly tackle him to the floor to sniff him in frantic curiosity. The brunet went down with a yelp, flinching away quickly as he thought he would end up get bit or worse. Instead, he was just met with the sniffles of the dog before she finally pulled back with a loud bark as if to deem him okay to be in her home. Pietro relaxed quickly as the dog backed away to go back to her owner. Clint laughed softly as he fussed the dog between her ears, now halfway between the kitchen area and the living room.

"I'm sorry about her. She gets excited." He smiled a little before pulling his hand back from the dog who then turned and walked to the sofa to curl up and nap.

"No, don't worry about it." Pietro stood up and attempted a small smile at the other before glancing around again. "I, uh... I can't thank you enough for this..." He whispered after a moment, feeling awkward as he just stood in front of the still-open door. Clint only dismissed Pietro's words, saying that he honestly didn't mind as he then made his way over to the young Sokovian.

"Anyways, are you hungry? I can make you a proper meal other than soup." He chuckles, smiling kindly at Pietro. The brunet couldn't help but blush slightly and drum his fingers over his arm nervously. Clint had already explained that he would've given Pietro more, but the food was being paid for by him and he couldn't afford big meals all the time. (Once Pietro learnt this he tried to stop him from buying so much, but the other did it anyway.)

"I don't mind... I've already had you pay for my meals for the past month or so, it would feel unfair for you to cook for me too," Pietro said quietly, rubbing his arm now instead. Clint rose a brow at him which Pietro saw out of the corner of his eye.

"Pietro. It's food, chill. I can afford to cook a little more than usual. It's not the end of the world." Clint smiled at the younger male and patted him on the shoulder. "Go on. Sit down and watch some TV while I make us something. I'm starving." He gave a grin as he practically pushed Pietro down on to the couch and turned the TV on, proceeding to then thrust the remote into the poor boy's lap. The Sokovian blinked as he looked down at the remote before nodding silently and just switching to a good channel to watch. He remembered roughly how to use a TV, but that didn't stop him from accidentally opening up a settings menu and freaking out thinking he had broken it. Clint quickly assured him the TV was fine and fixed it before telling him which buttons he needed.

It didn't take long for Clint to make the food (an oven cooked pizza) and cut it all up before putting it on to plates. He got some sauces from the cupboard and some coffee for himself while Pietro had just accepted some water. The two ate together on the sofa in silence, watching an old sitcom that was actually pretty good and made them both laugh from time to time. The silence felt a little awkward, at least for Pietro but Clint was acting as if he let homeless strangers into his home all of the time. He treated Pietro almost like an old friend that needed some help while they got back on their feet, and that helped the younger relax a little into the new atmosphere. Lucky was a very friendly dog, as well, but Pietro still felt nervous around her. He had a bad past with dogs.

Once dinner was finished, Clint collected the dishes and just threw them into the sink to wash tomorrow when he had more free time to do so. He then looked over at Pietro, realising the young man was rather dirty. He didn't judge him for it, of course, so he just decided to ask if Pietro wanted to shower. The young Sokovian blushed slightly but gave a small nod. Clint only gave him a reassuring and sympathetic smile before leading him to the bathroom and getting him some clean clothes that were a little too big for the younger male but fit him enough. The two then watched the sitcom for a while longer until Clint decided to turn in for the night. He showed the boy to the guest room he had which was found in a small hallway opposite Clint's while the bathroom was found next to Pietro's new room. The older of the two bid his new roommate good night before making his way to his own room, Lucky following behind rather quickly. Pietro watched for a moment as Clint waved at him before finally shutting the door. The young brunet blinked before stepping into his own room slowly and closing the door behind him. He looked around for a moment, glancing at everything. The room wasn't very special or decorated. There was a bed covered with monochrome bedsheets and pillows, the frame metal with chipping silver paint; there was a bedside table with a lamp, a chest of drawers and a desk all the same wood-like material and colour. The walls were a sort of cream looking colour and the floor was a soft grey carpet then felt sort under Pietro's now bare feet. The young male smiled to himself slightly as he made his way to the double bed, not bothering to pull the sheets as he fell on to the bed. A heavy sigh left his lips as he curled up to the comfortable sheets and pillows. He buries his face into the pillows, laughing happily as he felt a few tears fall on to the sheets in happiness. It had been so long since he had even touched a bed and within seconds he was fast asleep, a smile on his face he couldn't even remember using in his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Pietro woke up the next day feeling more refreshed than he had in years. Opening his eyes, his muscles felt loose and relaxed and he wasn't shivering from the cold anymore; his body felt clean and fresh, rubbing against soft clothing that he knew wasn't his own because of how nice they felt.

Looking around the room a smile spread over his lips. He could see walls and a ceiling, something he hadn't woken up to in a while.

The young brunet sat up slowly, feeling groggy from how well he slept as he stretched his arms, sighing happily. He didn't think he could ever thank Clint enough for what he was doing for him. With that thought in his mind, he slowly shuffled out of bed, placing his feet on the soft carpet and he couldn't help but wiggle his toes and grin childishly at the feeling. He laughed to himself, he couldn't remember the last time he laughed. Probably not since he got kicked out.

Pietro stood up, glancing around the room before making his way to the door to see if Clint was awake. Once the door was open, he was greeted with the smell of bacon and coffee. From that, he assumed that meant Clint was up unless he had a roommate he didn't know about which was unlikely. So he steps out of the bedroom and starts to pad his way down the small hallway to get into the main area of the apartment. And just as he expected, Clint was cooking in the kitchen, coffee next to him which he sipped on as he cooked. Pietro felt his stomach twist a little nervously as he walked over to the kitchen slowly. Clint didn't even notice his presence until Lucky lifted her head from her spot on the floor and barked softly as if she were greeting him. The young boy jumped a little, glancing at the dog before looking at Clint as he turned around to smile at the Sokovian.

"Morning. Sleep well?" He asked before turning back to the food to make sure it didn't burn.

Pietro nodded a little, "Yeah... considering I usually sleep on a piece of cardboard on a good day..." He said, joking a little but Clint didn't seem to find it funny. A small frown formed on his face before it was quickly covered by a familiar smile as he began placing the pieces of bacon on a plate next to him.

"Well, I'm glad you slept well. You're gonna need the energy." Pietro tilted his head in curiosity as he walked over to Clint a little more.

"Why...?" He asked, a little nervous as to what the other had planned. Clint smiled as he then began to place the pieces of bacon in rolls, handing them one to Pietro and keeping another for himself after turning fully to look at Pietro.

"I'm taking you shopping for some new clothes." Pietro blinked, had he heard him correctly?

"I'm sorry, what...?"

"I said I'm taking you shopping for clothes. So eat up, you'll need the energy to walk." He smiled and began eating his own sandwich after putting some sauce in it. Pietro blinked in shock before shaking his head.

"No. I... You're already letting me stay here, I can't make you do that too." Clint waved his hand in dismissal.

"I want to. And it's either you come with me or I guess your size and just buy you the worst possible clothes I can find." He smirked as he quickly finished his food and then turned to pour Pietro's coffee for him. The Sokovian frowned a little but didn't really want to argue.

"You really don't have to...." He mumbled before his coffee was thrust into his free hand, the one not holding his food that he hadn't even touched yet. The blond only smiled as he made himself another sandwich.

"I know, and I told you already that I want to." He began to eat his second sandwich while throwing down a piece of bacon for Lucky who watched it fall to the floor before picking it up and eating it. Pietro watched for a moment before just nodding to Clint as he started to nibble at his sandwich, soon scoffing the whole thing down and having another two afterwards. He felt a little bad eating so much and felt a little self-conscious of the weight gain he might have got from it but he was hungry and he didn't care. At least not at the moment.

It didn't take long for the two to get ready and leave the apartment to walk to the store Clint had said he was going to take the younger too. It was more of a second-hand store, or it at least sold cheap clothing but Pietro didn't mind. Clint wasn't exactly rich and it appreciated anything the man did for him. For someone to even look at him was a difficult thing to find, but this? He still struggled to believe it.

They walked into the shop, Clint leading with Pietro cowering a little behind him, glancing around at all of the clothes on show. He felt odd being in a store, looking for things to actually buy.

It didn't take them much time to find things Pietro would wear (he wasn't exactly picky, but he didn't seem to have a thing blue) and Clint set him off to try some of the things on just to make sure they fit him and that he liked them. Pietro didn't really want to but thought he would just listen to the other and went into the changing rooms. He walked into the little cubical and slid the curtain shut before placing down the clothes onto the little stool on the corner. He sighed to himself, glancing around before taking off the jacket Clint had made him wear and the shirt he had on from the night before (Clint had forgotten to do the washing and didn't have much left). As he turned around to grab the shirt to try on he caught a glance of himself in the mirror. It was only then the reality of it all really hit him. All that time he had been on the streets, he had never looked at him. Not like this.

Holding the shirt in his hands he stared at his reflection. His body looked pale, small and frail, the bone easily visible and he felt like a Halloween decoration. He felt sick looking at himself. He had bruises and scars littering his torso; the muscle he used to have in school from all of his sports clubs had basically disappeared from his body. His eyes were sunken and dark, face hollow and messy brown hair, brushed and uncut, framed his face and a scruffy beard sprouted from his face like weeds.

He heard what sounded like a choked gasp and barely even registered it was him making the noise. He reached a hand up to brush his hair back, looking over every detail before reaching down to touch some of the scars. He flinched, remembering where they came from. He felt his eyes burn but quickly wiped them before any tears could fall and tried on the clothes, his back to the mirror so he couldn't look at his reflection.

He knew he had lost weight, but what he had just saw genuinely scared him. He didn't know how much the whole experience had effected him, both mentally and physically. He tried not to cry as he changed back into his original clothing, gathering all of the new ones into a folded pile. He then took a deep breath and pushed the curtain back, walking out to see Clint entertaining himself by looking through one of the clothing racks. Once he heard the footsteps though he turned and smiled brightly at the young brunet. Pietro gave a weak smile and he knew his eyes looked red and angry from holding back the tears. Clint noticed this and his smile turned down quickly in concern. He decided not to ask though and just took the clothes from Pietro, taking them to the checkout and paying for them all while the other stood behind him and watched. He gripped the inside of his pockets and took a deep breath. He just had to hold it in until he wasn't around Clint.

Soon enough Clint was leading them back out of the store and was walking back to his apartment. Pietro followed behind him silently, staring down at the floor as his mind kept repeating the image over and over again. He didn't know how long he could last without breaking down. He was emotional, he knew that, and always had been. He didn't hide his feelings, but this time he knew he had to.

He snapped back to reality, however, as he suddenly felt himself hit a rather solid object, only to find out it was Clint who had stopped to look at him. Pietro blinked away the confusion before looking up at the blond and giving a small smile.

"What's wrong...?" He asked, only to get a concerned frown in response. Pietro's smile fell slightly as he looked at Clint.

"You don't seem very happy... I just want to make sure you're okay." He said softly, and Pietro was shocked at the amount of care behind his voice. The Sokovian nodded a little before glancing down.

"I'm fine, just..." He flinched as he heard his voice crack and just shook his head. Clint watches the young boy for a moment before nodding and turning back to continue walking home.


	5. Chapter 5

When they got inside the apartment, Lucky instantly attacked Clint with love and kisses who protected Pietro as he told him to go into the bedroom to put his new clothes away. The Sokovian quickly agreed and went to the guest room, maybe a little too quickly but he couldn't hold it anymore. He needed to break down.

He walked into the room, shutting the door a little harshly without thinking as he dropped the clothes on to the floor, barely making it to the bed before he collapsed in a heap of sobs and tears. He curled up, gripping on to the sheets as he let them absorb his tears and muffle his gasps and shaky sobs. The image kept flashing through his mind again. How skinny he was, his sunken face, his disgusting scar covered body. He hated it, he hated how.. weak he looked. How weak he felt. His sobs became harsher and soon he found himself unable to breathe through his cry. It didn't really help when his face was buried into the sheets but he couldn't bring himself to move.

He didn't know how long he had sat there and cried, but it must have been at least long enough to make Clint start to worry. After all, he had only told him to go put his clothes away. Pietro had calmed down enough to hear the door open and soon enough he felt the bed dip under the new weight beside him. He sniffled into the sheets and refused to look up. He didn't want Clint to see him in such a state... Then again he had already seen him looking like a hobo and he didn't think there could be anything worse than that. Pietro felt himself begin to sob again at the thought but kept them in causing his body to shake as he started to cry all over again.

Clint didn't say a word as he placed his hand on the brunet's back and started to rub it gently in comforting circles. The feeling only made Pietro cry harder as he was soon back into the vicious cycle of sobbing to the point he couldn't breathe, gasping into the sheets only to start sobbing again and lose his breath. After a few seconds, he felt himself being lifted as Clint pulled the poor boy into a sitting position, holding him up as the crying Sokovian hid his face in his hands to avoid letting the other see it. It took another few minutes before Pietro finally calmed down to only a few sniffles and the occasional hiccup.

His tears had stopped almost completely now as he felt himself lean into Clint's comforting embrace. They rocked softly as the blond waited for the younger of the two to get out whatever he needed to, holding him gently. Lucky had come into the room to see what the fuss was about but was quickly shooed out when her owner remembers their guest's slight fear of dogs.

After another minute, Pietro gathered the strength to pull back from Clint despite wanting to stay there for the rest of his life. He kept his head down as he stared at his lap, fiddling with his hands after wiping his face with his sleeves. It was at least another minute before the silence was broken.

"Are you okay?" Clint asked, staring at Pietro with concern. He tried to figure out what could've brought this on, only to come up with no ideas. As he thought back Pietro did seem a little off after they left the store. Did something happen while they were there?

Pietro gave a weak and silent nod to the question, not trusting his voice to say anything quite yet. Clint frowned and looked over the young boy. Well, he wasn't hurt at least. "What happened...?" He asked quietly, tilting his head a little to try and look at Pietro's face. The other looked away though, biting his lip as he tried to figure out what to say. He didn't know how to explain it to Clint.

"It's nothing..." He sighed, looking back at his lap. He heard Clint huff an unamused laugh and felt him lean back on the bed.

"It's not nothing if you've been crying like the way you have. So come on, spill." He said, and how tone suggested he wasn't in the mood for any shit. Pietro bit his lip harder before deciding not to test the older man. He had been so kind and it was only fair he gave him the truth.

"I... It's just that..." His voice shook as he spoke so he took a deep breath before trying again, "I saw myself... In the reflection in the changing room..." He started, risking a glance up at Clint through his hair as the other continued to stare at him expectantly. "I didn't... I never realised how... badly living on the streets affected me. I know I lost the weight but.. but what I saw in that mirror, it wasn't me... I looked so sick and weak and I guess the sudden reality hit me... I suppose I just sort of broke down... I'm sorry for doing that..." He said quietly, his voice shaking as he spoke. He stared at his lap, waiting for Clint to laugh at him, call him stupid, maybe even kick him out. Instead, the blond pulled him into a tight hug, practically pulling him into his lap.

"Pietro... You should've just said something to me, I couldn't help you instead of letting you sit in here and cry like that..." He then sighed and Pietro felt his chin rub against the top of his head as the older shook his head. "I'm sorry you have to go through this... But it's over now and I'll help you feel stronger again... But know this... Not many kids can survive what you went through... To be kicked out of your home at such a young age and to stay there for four years... You have to be pretty strong to handle that... You survived something horrible and that makes you very strong, at least in my eyes. You are definitely not weak." He said softly and somehow his fingers had found Pietro's brown hair and started to play with it gently. Pietro felt himself smile sadly and only nod at Clint's words, letting himself relax into the warmth surrounding him. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep in the blond's arms, a hand still in his hair as Clint smiled gently at the young boy in his arms. Placing a kiss on his head, he tucked him under the covers and left the room to let him rest.


	6. Chapter 6

Pietro woke up alone and confused. It took him only a moment to realise where he was and what had happened. The memories of it all quickly rushed into his head and his face flushed as he remembered the proximity between the two. He quickly pushed the thought away and sat up slowly, stretching out his muscles and glancing around the room to try and find a clock. There was a small one on the bedside table next to the bed which told him the time was about 6 o'clock. They had probably gotten back from shopping around 3, so Pietro came to the conclusion he had been asleep for about two and a half hours give or take. He frowned to himself before twisting his body and sliding off of the bed. He stretched again before glancing around again and headed towards the door. Upon opening it the boy stopped, listening for a moment. There was the faint sound of voices and then laughter which told Pietro that Clint was most likely watching the TV. The Sokovian bit his lip softly before making his way down the hallway towards the living room area.

Clint was sitting on the sofa, Lucky laying next to him with her head in his lap, eyes on the TV but most likely not really taking in what was happening. As Pietro walked into the living room the old dog lifted her head and barked at the boy. Pietro jumped and bit his lip, stopping in the doorway. Clint looked up and smiled softly when he saw the other standing there.

"Hey... You're awake." He said and shuffled on the sofa slightly, patting the space next to him invitingly. Pietro hesitated before walking over slowly and sitting down on the other side of Clint. "You feeling any better?" The brunet modded.

"Yes. Thank you, for uh..." He trailed off, gesturing with his hands as he didn't know what to say. Clint gave a small smirk at the Sokovian who currently looked like a flapping fish.

"Yeah, no problem. Just trying to help." He shrugged, taking pity on the kid. Pietro sighed a little and nodded, giving a shy smile towards the blond. Clint gave a big smile and patted the brunet's shoulder gently. He then turned back to the TV and continued watching the old episode of Friends that was currently playing. Pietro watched Clint for a moment, studying him. He noted the creases by his eyes when he laughed and the dimples of his bright smile. He looked so carefree and happy. It brought a small smile to Pietro's face at seeing the other man smiling and it made him think about how lucky he was. He didn't know how he would ever be able to thank Pietro enough, but he would find a way. He had to.

~•~•~•~  
After a couple of episodes, Clint muted the show to stop the sound and started riffling through the random papers and leaflets on his coffee table.

"So what do you fancy?" He asked the young Sokovian, not taking his eyes away from the table as he seemingly searched for something. Pietro looked over at the blond and rose his brow in confusion.

"What?" Clint paused and glanced up at the other, a small smirk on his face.

"For food, what do you want? I'm gonna order takeout." He explained before then going back to looking through all of the papers, soon finding a couple of take-away menus and pulling them out. The brunet stared down at the papers in his hand, not remembering the last time he had a takeaway.

"I, uh... I don't really mind. I'm not fussy." Pietro decided to say. He didn't really 'fancy' anything in particular, and he didn't want to choose anything just to find out it was the most expensive, therefore making Clint spend more money than necessary. The blond nodded and looked through the menus before pulling out a Chinese takeout menu. He glanced over it for a second before setting the others down again on the table.

"Okay then, Chinese it is." Pietro nodded numbly and shuffled on the sofa, leaning back to watch the other open up the menu and flick through it swiftly to find the section he wanted. The Sokovian stayed silent as Clint searched for his order and occasionally glanced over at Lucky who was now sleeping soundly in her doggy bed just outside the kitchen area against the wall. "Did you want me to just order something for you or do you want to choose?" Pietro jumped a little at his words, replying that he didn't mind. He nodded again and watched as he found something in the menu before then quickly calling the number and placing the order.

About half an hour later Clint and Pietro were both sat on the sofa, legs crossed as they ate away at the assortment of Chinese food that had been ordered. Clint had decided to just order things he thought the other might like and then they could both just take whatever they wanted instead of each having a separate meal. Then whatever wasn't eaten could be placed away in the fridge later to warm up and use as a meal tomorrow. It saved time and money and Clint often used to do it with his old flatmate, Tony.

The two men sat quietly as they ate their food, the TV no longer on mute so they could have some entertainment with their feast. The atmosphere was peaceful and calm and Pietro felt safe and strangely warm. It reminded him of how Clint used to sit with him in the little cafe before he made him move in. Sometimes they talked and sometimes they didn't, but it never felt awkward. Not for Pietro, not with him. The brunet smiled to himself as he thought back to those times before suddenly another thought invaded his mind.

"You have work tomorrow..." He stated randomly, staring down at the plastic tub of rice and curry he was currently eating from.

Clint looked over at the boy beside him, frowning at the look on his face. He looked more disappointed than anything, but he could see the fear hidden in the other's eyes.

"Yeah, I do. But you're welcome to just stay in the apartment. It's not like you're gonna trash or steal anything, right?" Clint smiled as he teased the younger, nudging him gently before going back to his food. Pietro only frowned more, biting his lip at the idea of being alone in the apartment. He felt a little awkward being in the apartment with Clint, but being there without him would be worse. Not to mention the fact that he would be alone with Lucky, who, in her defence, was a very nice dog but that didn't stop Pietro from being afraid of her. At least a little. But he also didn't want to be alone. He felt safe with Clint and he didn't know how he would deal without him.

"What would I do all day?" Pietro asked, staring down at his food to avoid looking at Clint. He didn't want him to see the look on his face. Clint shrugged.

"Chill out, watch TV... Do whatever you want really as long as you don't break anything." Clint replied, shovelling another mouthful of noodles into his mouth. Pietro sighed a little to himself, deciding not to think about it for now as he just continued to eat.

~•~•~•~•~  
The next day came and Pietro walked down the same hallway into the living room, mind groggy and hair messy. He let out a small yawn and stretched his arms out above his head before then letting them fall to his hair to try and brush out the mess. When he looked around he saw Clint in the kitchen, currently bent over as he filled Lucky's bowls. He was dressed in jeans and a black tight shirt with a purple bow and arrow silhouette in the centre of it. It was then that Pietro remembered he would be spending the day alone in the apartment. A small frown settled on his lips as he walked further into the room. Clint stood back up, rolling his shoulders and sighing. He turned, picking up his mug before looking over at Pietro who stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room area.

"Morning, Pietro." He smiled and slowly walked out of the kitchen.

"Morning." Pietro smiled back and tugged awkwardly at his shirt. "What time do you have to go to work?" He asked, trying not to seem too disappointed. Clint looked down at his watch for a second.

"Now, pretty much." He sighed and quickly finished his coffee, setting the cup down on the coffee table and rushing to his bedroom to grab a jacket. Pietro could only watch as Clint returned, pulling the sleeves over his arms swiftly and checking for his keys once the jacket was on. He then looked up and frowned at Pietro. The Sokovian was holding his arm, his gaze cast down at the floor and Clint couldn't help but think he looked like a small child. Just a scared, vulnerable kid who didn't want to be left alone. Clint paused a moment to just look at the younger male before then walking over to him. He placed his hand on the other's shoulder, causing his head to snap up. Bright blue eyes stared up at Clint with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Clint smiled and patted his shoulder gently. "You'll be fine." He said softly and Pietro seemed to relax somewhat but still seemed rather frightened. "I won't be gone long. I'll be back before you know it." The smile stretched into a grin, his hand not leaving the other's shoulder. "Until then, make sure you eat something. Even if it's only small, okay?" He asked, hand tightening a little over the frail shoulder. Pietro gave a small nod and attempted a smile in return. The two then paused, and something passed between them. Neither male knew what it was, but there was a sudden feeling between the to, a sort of warmth. Blue met blue as they both stared at each other, eyes studying and searching, but for what neither knew.

However, the moment was gone as soon as it came and Clint quickly pulled away, leaving them both with a somewhat cold feeling. Clint smiled awkwardly before bidding the young brunet goodbye and left quickly as to avoid being late. Pietro stood frozen in the living room, staring at the door. He didn't know how long had passed before he shook his head and snapped himself out of his thoughts.

Pietro spent the morning showering and then searching in the kitchen for hours for something to eat. He didn't want to take anything Clint would miss and didn't know how much he would be able to take. In the end, he found some cheap-looking cereal and poured some into a bowl with a little bit of milk. He got himself a glass of water and sat down on the sofa. The TV was off and he didn't bother turning it on as he ate in silence, drifting into thought. More specifically, thoughts about Clint. He had always thought the blond was attractive, ever since he met him at the cafe. But he had never truly thought about him. Now that he was alone he had the chance to really think about everything. Clint was amazing in Pietro's eyes. Not only because he had been feeding the homeless boy for almost two months and had also homed him for the past couple of days. No, Clint was an amazing person besides that. He was funny, incredibly kind, attractive, outgoing, skilled, understanding, patient. The list could go on. Pietro could think of a million different reasons why Clint was amazing, maybe even perfect.

Pietro whined softly and rubbed his face, his bowl untouched in his lap. The Sokovian sighed and bit at his lip, ripping the skin nervously. He had a crush on Clint. Not a big one, but enough that he'd probably start getting distracted now that it was on his mind. He had noticed how his stomach fluttered with Clint, but he always put it down to nerves. Pietro huffed and started to eat the cheap cereal, scratching his head and tugging the brown strands, irritated with himself.

It was then Lucky decided to come over. The old dog stood from her bed, stretched out her front legs before padding over to the young boy on the sofa. Pietro looked up and watched nervously as the dog placed her head on his knee. She gently sniffed the bowl before walking past him to the free side of the couch. She looked at the brunet for a second before then jumping up. Twirling in circles a couple of times she then settled down finally, her head resting on the arm of the sofa. Pietro shuffled away from the dog and pushed himself against the other arm. The dog watched the Sokovian boy before closing her eyes. The young male sighed and looked down at his cereal.

"Well, Lucky..." Pietro tentatively reached out and stroked the golden retriever's back, knowing she wouldn't hurt him like the other dogs he had met. "Looks like I've got a bit of a crush on your dad... Great..." He sighed, glancing off into the apartment. He just hoped this wouldn't affect anything. He liked living with Clint and he didn't want it to end.


	7. Chapter 7

Clint got back to his apartment around half past 7, feeling exhausted and aching all over. Today had been busy in the cafe, more so than usual and Clint had been non-stop walking around and taking orders. He was surprised he still had his voice from how much he had been talking. All he wanted was to get home and order take out before going to bed.

As the blond walked through the door, he threw his keys down into the bowl, stretching out his arms as he walked into the main part of the living room.

"Lucky!" A yelp came from the kitchen followed by a giggle. When Clint looked up, the scene before him surprised him. Pietro was in the kitchen, cooking what looked like pasta. The brunet was being attacked by the old dog who apparently wanted to try out some cooking herself. The young Sokovian gently pushed the dog, a bright-looking smile on his face. "This isn't for you! I'll give you some leftovers later but Clint will be home soon and I need to get this cooked." He chuckled and turned back to the food on the stove, crying out as he quickly turned down the heat. "Bad food! You're not allowed to burn, this has to be perfect!" At that Clint couldn't help but laugh, quickly covering his mouth but it was too late. Pietro had heard and so had Lucky. The golden lab came running over to the blond, barking happily as Clint quickly started to fuss her. Pietro looked over at the older male, feeling himself freeze up. Clint looked gorgeous when he smiled like that.

Clint pushed the dog away gently after giving her a sufficient amount of fusses. He made his way over to the young male in his kitchen and grinned.

"What's all this then??" He walked up behind the boy and leaned over his shoulder, breathing in the smell of the pasta and sauce being cooked. "Smells great." Pietro shrunk in on himself as he felt his cheeks burn but smiled nonetheless.

"I, uh... It's nothing special. I realised there was some food here close to its best before date and I wanted to do something nice for you so I, um.. cooked..." He turned the heat down low to stop the food burning and turned to face the blond behind him. His breath caught in his throat at the close proximity of the two. Blue met blue in a soft stare. "I hope that's okay..?" The brunet whispered, breathing softly. Clint only stood about an inch away from Pietro, their breath mixing. The older male let his eyes flick down to stare at the soft pair of pale lips before looking back up again. Pietro felt his stomach twist, heart fluttering in his chest.

"That's amazing... Thank you, Pietro." And then he stepped back and the Sokovian felt his heart hammer in his chest. If the other had just leaned in a little further... Pietro coughed gently and turned quickly, stirring the sauce and pasta before then turning off the stove completely.

"It's, uh... all cooked so you should just go sit and relax and I'll bring it over." The brunet muttered, ignoring the crack in his voice. Clint nodded slightly, glancing at the other male before then walking over to the sofa.

Pietro brought the two plates over to the sofa, laying them down on the coffee table. The brunette sat down beside Clint, knees brushing against each other. Clint muttered a thank you and picked up the place, gathering some food together on his fork and taking a bite. Instantly a moan slipped through his lips and he wanted nothing more than to stuff his face with the entire plate.

"This is amazing!" Pietro smiled a little and looked down at his plate, stirring his food around on the plate.

"I added a few herbs I found in your cupboards. Some of them hadn't even been opened. I thought it might make it a bit nicer."

"Well, it's great, oh my god!" Clint moaned with a mouth full of food. Pietro giggle softly and began to eat his own food, feeling rather proud of himself for making Clint so happy.

The TV filled the comfortable silence between the two men, playing softly as they both ate. Their thighs pressed together but neither said anything.

After a few minutes passed, Clint's attention shifted away from the food to his apartment. He looked around, frowning a little in confusion.

"Did... did you clean the apartment...?" Clint turned back to look at Pietro who stopped eating. He bit his lip gently and hid behind his overgrown hair.

"I, uh... yeah. I'm s-sorry, I just-"

"What? No, Pietro. You haven't done anything wrong! It's wonderful!" The blond turned to look at the younger male next to him, smiling brightly. Pietro lifted his head slightly to look at the blond.

"I just thought it would be nice... I wanted to try and find a way to repay you for all that you had done. And I know I'd never been able to do that, but-" His words were cut off as Clint reached over, brushing back to long brown stands to see the dull blue eyes that grew brighter every time he looked at them.

"You don't have to repay me... But thank you, for all of this." Clint cupped the younger's cheek, gently rubbing the growing facial hair there. Pietro sighed out, absorbing the feeling of warmth from the hand on his cheek. "And try and relax a little, okay?" He said softly, his thumb rubbing gently strokes. Pietro felt his eyes begin to close. He felt like a puppy and he wanted nothing more than to feel like this forever. Safe and warm. Half lidded eyes stared into bright blue eyes. Clint began to lean in slowly, feeling his heartbeat fast. He knew he had grown attracted to the male ever since then began talking in the cafe. After learning about his past and what he had been through Clint wanted nothing more than to protect the young male, create a better life for him. He knew it sounded stupid but there was something about the brunet.

Their lips brushed together softly, barely touching. Pietro felt tense, nervous and excited. His heart was going to break out of his rib cage soon enough and he gripped Clint's jeans a little, his hands shaking. The blond stopped what he was doing, watching for any signs that the other didn't want this. Though he looked nervous he looked ready and waiting. Clint felt a smile stretch his lips and leaned in further, slow and steady to give the trembling Sokovian chance to decide. When he didn't move away Clint felt sure of this and moved in. Their lips pressed together in a short kiss that sent shudders down both male's spines. Pietro felt a small gasp escape him and Clint took advantage, deepening the kiss. Strong fingers brushed brown strands and fragile hands gripped at denim jeans to stop them from shaking. Pietro felt hot all over, skin tingling under his blue hoodie. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity for the two.

Clint pulled away slowly, laughing softly to himself when he felt Pietro let out a shuddery breath, leaning forward to continue the kiss but being stopped by a gentle finger. The Sokovian's eyes slowly drew open, staring up in a case at the blond.

"Woah..." Pietro laughed softly, his face on fire but he didn't care. "Is kissing always like that..?"

Clint huffed a small laugh, "Not always..." He grinned and leaned back slightly, still brushing his fingers through the other's hair. He soon pulled away though. Pietro instantly missed the feeling but said nothing as he watched the blond pick up the plates. The after feeling of the kiss began to fade and Pietro frowned a little to himself, his mind suddenly filling with thoughts. What did the kiss mean? He didn't know and he felt scared.

Clint placed the dirty dishes in the sink, running some water over them and letting them be for now. He walked back over to the sofa and sat down next to Pietro, looking up at the boy. His smile fell as he watched the nervous-looking boy.

"What's wrong?" Pietro looked up at Clint, mind reeling over what to say.

"We just- we.. we kissed." He whispered. Clint frowned in confusion but nodded.

"Yeah, we did... Why? Is that not a good thing?" He had a headshake in response.

"No, no. It is- I think. I mean, I like you. So yeah, it's good. It's just... It's sudden and I don't know what this means. I've never kissed anyone before, let alone been with anyone. I don't know the rules, or what to do. I..." Pietro trailed over and hugged himself, looking up at the older male. Clint sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Honestly. I don't know either." He admitted quietly, avoiding eye contact with the Sokovian. "I just know that I like you. A lot. But... well, we've known each other for almost two months now. We know a lot about each other. You're living with me for Christ's sakes!" He paused and looked back at the brunet, offering a small smile. "We don't have to make this into anything serious. But maybe we could give a relationship a go...? And we don't have to rush! We'll go slow, take our time. And you'll never have to do anything you don't want to." Pietro stared at Clint, feeling conflicted. After a moment of thought, a smile stretched over his face, small but strong.

"I think I'd like that..." He said quietly, accent thicker with his nerves. "Does... Does this mean that we could kiss again...?" Clint chuckled and nodded, leaning in and capturing Pietro's lips in another kiss, longer than the first. Pietro smiled more and kissed back, careful and tentative but trusting. Clint took things slow like he said, making sure the younger was comfortable. The kiss lasted almost half a minute before the two were pushed apart by a golden furred head. The two males laughed and gently fussed the Labrador. Clint then looked up and grinned at Pietro.

"Movie night?" Pietro gave a nod of agreement.

"Sounds good."

The two were soon curled on the sofa, lights off and an action movie playing on the screen. Clint was on the end of the sofa, leaning against the arm while Pietro sat next to him, their legs pressed against each other and a blanket covering their laps. Lucky sat on the other side of Pietro, taking up most of the sofa and pushing the new couple together slightly. The evening went by quietly and there was a comfortable atmosphere throughout the apartment.

About halfway through the movie, soft snores began to disrupt the peaceful quiet. Pietro looked over at the older male next to him and watched as he slept. The brunet felt a smile tug at his lips as he shifted, carefully standing up from the sofa. Lucky had moved now from the sofa to her bed and Pietro had a feeling she wouldn't be much trouble throughout the night.

The young male sighed out, brushing his hair back as he tried to figure out what to do. He didn't want to wake the exhausted man, but he didn't really want to let him sleep out on the sofa. After a couple of minutes of thinking, Pietro shut off the TV and decided it would be better to wake Clint up. So he knelt down slowly and placed his hand on the blond's shoulders, shaking them gently.

"Clint...? Come on, wake up." He whispered, shaking him a little harder. Clint groaned, shuffling a little. "Come on. Can't have you sleeping out here." Pietro smiled as the other's eyes fluttered open.

"M'tired," Clint grunted, sitting up slowly. Pietro rubbed his shoulders gently before standing and helping the older do the same.

"I know. So the sooner we get you into your bed the better." Clint gave a tired nod, yawning rather dramatically. Pietro could only roll his eyes as he helped the blond to his bed, dropping him off at the door. Clint stumbled a little at the door once Pietro let go of him.

"Night, kid..." Pietro smiled a little and shook his head.

"Good night, old man." He teased, watching a Clint rubbed his eyes before leaning over and clumsily placing a kiss on Pietro's chin. The Sokovian giggled quietly and pushed the older male away.

Before long to two had gone to bed. Clint fell asleep within seconds of collapsing on his bed.

Pietro on the other hand wasn't quite ready to sleep yet. The young Sokovian decided to have a warm shower before going to bed. The shower lasted fifteen minutes before he then stepped out, creeping down the hallway to his room. With only a towel around his waist, Pietro searched for some clothes, grabbing some joggers, a plain shirt and his hoodie from earlier in the day.

The brunet dropped the towel on the floor, slipping on his joggers and underwear before grabbing the towel again to dry his hair quickly. As he did, he turned toward the full-length mirror in the corner of the room.

The same image from the store appeared in the glass. Pietro froze as his gaze met the reflection, biting his lip hard. He forced himself to look away as his chest tightened. He knew it was going to take a while for him to look normal again. But he didn't know if he could be patient enough. A heavy sigh fell from his lips as he quickly covered his body with his shirt, throwing his hoodie on and tugging to make sure it didn't cling.

As he climbed into bed, curling under the covers to hide from the world, Pietro knew he wasn't going to get much sleep that night.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the week went by nicely. For the most part.

Clint went to work as normal and came home to a happy Pietro cooking him food. Then the evenings were spent watching TV and relaxing while the pair cuddled under a blanket. Not much had changed between the pair; Pietro never initiated anything but never retracted from Clint when he made a move. The two never went further than small pecks on the lip and Clint never pushed the nervous boy into anything he didn't want to do.

Come Wednesday, Clint slept in late as it was his day off. Pietro was up early, unable to sleep and with Lucky whining, for food he had gotten up to feed her.

The brunet had fed the dog and then got working on some pancakes. Apparently, Clint had quite a few cookbooks, however, almost all of them had seemed untouched. While looking around out of boredom he had found them in the cupboard and decided to look for simple recipes. Hence the pancakes.

It was around 11 when Clint finally crawled out of bed. Pietro was still cooking the pancakes, a few already made on a plate next to him. Clint smiled at the sight of Pietro who currently had his back turned and was unaware of the other's presence. The blond quietly walked up to the younger male, a smile on his lips as he carefully and slowly placed his hands on Pietro's hips. The brunet jumped but soon smiled and relaxed a little, leaning into the body behind him tentatively.

"Morning," Clint mumbled in his deeper morning voice. Pietro gave an awkward smile and served up another pancake.

"Morning. I've made you some pancakes." He gestured over to the stack of made pancakes to his left and felt Clint nod before then moving to grab some pancakes. Pietro watched with tired eyes before going back to using up the rest of the mix to make more pancakes. Clint grabbed a pancake from top of the stack and groaned in delight at the taste.

"You really need to take up a profession in cooking," Clint mumbled around his hand chewed food, before then looking over at the slowly cooking pancake mix. "How do you even know how to make pancakes?" Pietro pointed over to the small stack of cookbooks. Clint blinked in shock and turned back to the Sokovian as he flipped the pancake. "I didn't even know I had cookbooks..." Pietro plated up another pancake, yawning as he did.

"I found them the other day and thought I'd give a few simple recipes a try." The brunet poured some more mix into the pan, unaware of the concerned stare being given by the other male.

Clint bit off a piece of his pancake as he stared at the younger male. It was then he noticed the dark bags under his eyes that had grown worse over the week. He said nothing though, deciding to leave the boy be for now.

The two ate their pancakes in silence and drank their coffee too, standing close enough to touch shoulders but nothing else.

Once breakfast was done, Pietro cleaned up while Clint made a list of what was needed. The kitchen was looking empty and with Pietro now taking up cooking Clint thought it would be best to get some more supplies in.

"So do you wanna tag along or stay here?" Clint asked as he pulled his arms through his jacket, letting it fall over his shoulders, "I'll let you pick out some food you want to try?" Pietro opened his mouth to respond, however instead of words and huge yawn broke out of him. Clint gave a small frown as he zipped him his jacket. "Maybe you should stay here and nap actually. You look kinda tired." Pietro shook his head, giving a weary smile.

"No, I want to come.." Pietro stifled another yawn, a faint blush covering his cheeks. Clint's frown deepened and he shook his head.

"Nope! I've decided! You are going to stay and you are going to sleep for as long as you need." Clint then grabbed the younger's shoulders and guided him over to the sofa. He pushed Pietro down so he was sat and then threw a blanket carelessly over the brunette with a chuckle. Pietro huffed and pulled the blanket from his face, placing it on his lap.

"I don't need to sleep," Pietro complained, making his way to stand back up only to be pushed back down again. The blond knelt in front of the Sokovian boy, worry pooling in his eyes.

"You do... So please, for me... Sleep..." The words came out soft and full of worry and Pietro sighed at the tone. He couldn't say no to that...

"Okay... I will sleep. But only a little!" Pietro didn't protest when Clint pushed him back on to the sofa so he was lying down, tucking the blanket around him like a parent would do with a small child. The blond fussed with the younger male, making sure he was comfortable. It took almost 5 minutes before Clint was satisfied that Pietro would sleep comfortably on the sofa and finally leave to get the shopping done.

The Sokovian let out a heavy sigh, currently on his side facing the TV which was playing some sort of show he didn't care about at a quiet volume. Lucky was soon padding her way back from where she had followed her beloved owner to the door, settling down in front of Pietro on the floor. She lifted her head to glance at the boy, seemingly trying to make sure he was okay before laying her head back down to fall into a deep sleep. A small smile settled on the boy's face, his eyes beginning to drop...

Pietro was absolutely shattered to say the very least. He had barely slept all week. Every time he tried his mind was plagued with flashbacks, memories of what once was his life, horrific fantasies of what could become of his life; Clint leaving, Pietro alone, slowly being lost to the unforgiving ice clutching and eating away at him until he was nothing more than a frostbitten corpse left on the streets of New York. One night he had woken up, only to then scramble his way to the bathroom to throw up everything in his stomach. It was unpleasant and left Pietro feeling exhausted throughout the day. Of course, he tried to hide it, but he hadn't slept at all last night and it was really starting to catch up with him.

Pietro was soon out like a light, so to speak. Lucky led close beside him, her back pressed against the sofa, as close as she could get to the boy from her position on the floor. Pietro curled into a ball on the sofa, clutching the blanket to his chin as is he would never be able to feel this warm ever again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clint managed to get the shopping done in only an hour or so, including the travel. Luckily there was a rather large convenience only 20 minutes away from his apartment, give or take, depending on how Clint was feeling.

By the time he got to the apartment, it was gone one in the afternoon. As Clint opened the door he hoped to see his boyfriend (although he wasn't sure if they really were boyfriends) was still asleep on the couch. He had looked so sleep deprived, it was kind of scary.

Clint walked into the apartment and the first thing he heard was whimpering. He was instantly on high alert as he made his way down the small hallway into the main living area of the apartment. He looked around for only a second before his eyes found the source of the noises. Lucky was awake and alert, whimpering helplessly at Pietro.

The Sokovian boy was tossing and turning on the sofa, trembling with cold sweats and gasping harshly between loud sobs and cries. He flinched, kicking his legs and crying out Russian words Clint didn't understand.

Shit!

Clint dropped the bags in his hands and ran over to the quivering boy, pushing the dog away and commanding her to stay back. He knelt on the floor, grabbing Pietro by the shoulders and shook.

"Pietro! Come on, it's okay. It's just a dream." Pietro thrashed about, his hands flying up defensively and almost hitting Clint in the face as he did. Clint managed to grab his arms, trying to hold him still so he didn't hurt himself.. or Clint for that matter. "Pietro! It's me, Clint! Come on, wake up, buddy. You're alright." He shook the boy again, calling out to him. After a few more seconds of trying to coax the brunet from whatever hellish dream he was trapped in the young boy shot up. His breathing was uneven, sharp and shallow, quick and harsh. The older of the two quickly realised the telltale signs of a panic attack. Clint was quick to drag himself on to the sofa, grabbing the brunet's face gently and brush back his sweat ridden hair.

Pietro shook violently, his eyes screwed shut as tears streamed down his face. Small pale hands flew out and gripped at the blond's jacket. Clint hushed the boy softly, pulling him close and rocking the two of them back and forth on the sofa. Pietro could only manage sobs and harsh breaths, still struggling to get his breathing under control. The blond started to guide the other through his breathing.

"Hey.. alright, listen to me... Try and copy my breathing okay? Ready? In... two... three... out... two... three." Clint spoke softly, repeating his words over and over until the younger of the two managed to follow along without a problem. It took a few minutes for Pietro to calm down fully and get his breathing under control completely, and even by this point, the boy was still crying softly. The blond sighed, biting his lip as he clutched Pietro tightly, stroking his hair softly as he continued to rock the two.

It took another half an hour for Pietro to finally stop sniffling all over Clint's jacket. He pulled back slowly, head down so his shaggy brown hair covered his face. Clint sighed softly, rubbing the other's hand with soft circles.

"You okay?" The blond asked, receiving a shake of the head.

"Not really..." He sighed, his accent thickened by his emotions. Clint frowned before leaning in and kissing the Sokovian's sweaty forehead.

"Wanna talk about it...?" Another shake of the head. Clint sighed to himself as he felt himself become at a loss for what to do. He had never really dealt with others having nightmares before. Sure he had had his own but it was different. Clint usually just calmed himself down and then drank coffee to keep himself awake for the day.

Silence passed between the two for a while, Clint holding Pietro to his chest tightly as he rocked them both gently on the couch. Neither of them knew how long it had been before Clint broke the silence.

"How long has this been going on?" The blond asked softly. He felt the Sokovian sigh into his chest, the grip he had on the other's jacket tightening a little.

"A while..." Pietro's voice squeaked, croaking a little from crying so hard earlier. Clint frowned at the answer he received.

"How long is a while...?" He asked carefully. There was a short pause before the brunet answered.

"A week or so... I haven't exactly been counting." Clint sighed, cursing silently to himself. How had he not noticed the changes in his boyfriend's (Again, he didn't know if the two were really boyfriends.) behaviour?

"Pietro... why didn't you say anything to me?" His voice was soft and he felt like he was holding a scared animal in his lap. Pietro was a tough kid, definitely, but he was still a kid and he was vulnerable and scared. After everything he had been through, why wouldn't he be?

Clint felt Pietro's shoulders shrug against his chest as the boy shuffled in his lap, attempting to get comfortable and remove the pins and needles starting to form in his toes from the awkward angle he was currently sat at. "I didn't want you to worry... I'm already such a huge burden and I-"

"Now I'm gonna stop you right there." Clint interrupted, "You, Pietro, are not a burden and I never want you to think that. Ever." Pietro almost jumped at how fast Clint reacted, "Capisce?" Pietro pulled back ever so slightly to look up into the blue eyes of the American male. After a second or two the brunet nodded slightly with the smallest of smiles. Clint smiled back, the tightness around his heart relaxing now that it seemed Pietro was feeling better. "Now then," Clint sat up a little, carefully removing the Sokovian from his lap. "I am going to make up two steamy cups of hot cocoa and a bowl of whatever sugary crap I can find in the kitchen and we are going to chill and watch films." The blond explained as he stood up, stretching out his arm and back as Pietro gave a nod coupled with a minute smile.

"That sounds nice..." He murmured, pulling the blanket that had fallen on to the floor during his nightmare. The boy pulled it around himself, settling back into the sofa. Clint watched happily before his eyes widened as he remembered his bags of shopping on the floor. He quickly ran over to the bags, picking them up and rushing them to the kitchen area while a string of curses flew from his mouth. Placing the bags on the countertop, Clint quickly pulled out the tub of ice cream currently dripping all over his sort of recently cleaned floor. Thankfully, Lucky was there for cleanup and made swift work of licking the chocolate ice cream from the tiles. Clint grimaced with a slight chuckle as he put the ice cream in the freezer before then putting away the rest of his items to save doing it later. He then got to making the drinks, deciding to make buttery popcorn.

Lucky made her way over to Pietro who was currently wrapped up in a tight cocoon on the sofa. The golden labrador sniffed cautiously before nuzzling her nose into the cocoon. Pietro bit his lip, still rather nervous around the dog despite living with her for so long. He knew she would never hurt a fly but he still didn't trust her fully. Lucky whined softly, sneezing into the blanket after it tickled her nose. She then turned away and waddled over to her own bed. Clint laughed softly as he came back over to the sofa, setting down the two mugs on the coffee table and making a second trip for the popcorn. With that sorted, he sits down on the sofa beside Pietro, grabbing the remote to set up a nice light-hearted film to brighten the other's spirits.

Within minutes a Disney film was put for Pietro after Clint had the learnt the horror that the Sokovian had never seen a Disney movie in his life and the two were wrapped up in each other with the blanket draped over them. The two lazily made their way through their drinks and popcorn as the film went on. Pietro seemed a lot calmer now, more relax and content than he had been an hour or so ago which in turn made Clint feel more relaxed and content.

They played another film once the first had finished before Clint found Pietro started to drop off on top of him. Clint was beginning the feel drowsy too. Not particularly wanting a crick in his neck and a bad back in the more, the blond nudged the younger man only to receive a grumbled whine in response. Clint bit back a smile before nudging the other again.

"Pietro... come on, as much as I enjoy cuddling you I really don't want a sore back tomorrow because of this crappy old couch. Plus I have work and I would really like to get a decent nights sleep." He rambled, sitting up slowly as Pietro mumbled in his native tongue, most probably insulting Clint for disturbing his sleep. The blond rolled his eyes, helping the younger man out of his lap before standing to take the mugs and empty bowl to the kitchen.

Pietro sighed softly as he rubbed his eyes, pushing himself up from the sofa and scratching his head. Clint returned soon enough and, after turning the TV off, made his way down the little hallway to his bedroom. Pietro followed along, watching as Clint opened his door and Lucky run in almost knocking over the older man in the process. The brunet then looked over at his own door, thinking about the dark, cold, lonely room awaiting him on the other side. He winced at the thought of sleeping in there. Turning back to Clint's open door he thought for a moment, chewing on his lip as he stared into the room. The American man was now getting changed, seemingly unaware of the other male stood outside his room. With a final glance back at his door Pietro made his decision. Taking a deep breath, Pietro turned on the balls of his feet to fully face Clint's room as the other pulled a shirt over his head.

"Uhm... Clint...?" He spoke up, voice a little shaky as he did. Clint turned around sharply, a questioning look covering his features. Pietro paused before screwing his eyes shut, looking down to avoid seeing the expression on Clint's face. "I... I wanted to ask if... I... If I could, uhm..." Another pause before Pietro spewed the words out as fast as humanly possible. The question came out as a mess of sounds that didn't even sound like English. He heard a chuckle and within seconds hands wrapped around his own and pulled him forward. The young man let out a yelp, eyes flying open to find himself being dragged into Clint's room. He was then let go as Clint walked back over to the bed, pulling back the covers before heading back to Pietro again. The blond smiled down at the shorter man, placing a gentle kiss on his chapped lips before taking his hands.

"Of course you can sleep with me tonight." He whispered, brushing back a few strands of brown hair from Pietro's face. A shy smile was given in return as he led the younger male over to the bed. Clint guided the other down on to the bed before walking around to the other side and joining his boyfriend. He pulled the covers up to just above their waists. He then rolled over and turned off his bedside, plunging the room into darkness apart from the sparse moonbeams that someone made their way through his blackout curtains.

The two lay together in silence for a long while after Clint settled himself in. Minutes had passed and Pietro was sure that the older male was already asleep.

"Come here..." Clint whispered into the darkness. Pietro blinked in surprise, barely making out the shape of the other's face looking at him. After only a second of hesitation, the Sokovain shuffled his way closer to Clint, pressing himself into the warmth of his body. Strong arms wrapped around Pietro's frail frame, holding him protectively. After a little bit of adjustment, their legs were tangled together while Clint held the younger male to his chest.

Pietro fell asleep that night, feeling protective and safe in the arms of the man he was inevitably going to fall for. Even if he didn't know it yet.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day, Clint woke up to a faceful of messy brown hair. And he had never felt so happy. 

At first, it was a shock to the system to find another person in his bed. He almost tossed the boy out of bed before he remembered what had happened the night before. The memories of Pietro snuggling up to his chest came back to him quickly and he grinned into the quiet room. 

Pietro was still flat out, wrapped around Clint like a baby koala and snoring softly away. Clint shuffled slightly, pushing the hair away from his face to actually be able to see. Looking down he saw Pietro resting his head on his chest, his face relaxed and content as the worries that plagued him during the day disappeared while in the safer world of deep sleep. 

Clint sighed happily to himself before reaching his arm out to his bedside table in search of his phone. Pulling it back once he had successfully located the device he opened the phone up, scrolling through his notifications. A few emails from social media accounts, a couple of Twitter notifications and a couple of Facebook messages. He tapped on the message notification and inwardly groaned at the name appearing next to it. 

'mr robot kink' 

Clint glanced down at the messages, wrapping his arm around Pietro a little tighter when the kid shuffled. 

"Cliiiiinnnntttttt"

"Clint, you dead man"

"I know its like 5 am but still"

"Havent seen you in like ages"

"How is my favourite caffeine obsessed boi"

"Steve took away my coffee"

"i am very upset"

Clint rolled his eyes at the small spam of messages before darting his eyes up to the time at the top of his phone screen. 6:12. The blond pouted at the numbers staring back at him but was thankful he hadn't slept past his alarm. 

"Why did Steve take away your coffee" 

Clint typed the reply, not expecting a reply any time soon as he switched over to Facebook to scroll through the collection of memes on his timeline. After about ten minutes his phone vibrated in his hand and he tapped on the notification bubble which brought him to the chat screen. 

"i havent slept in 2 days and he got concerned" 

Clint rolled his eyes at the reply before typing out his message. 

"why havent you slept in 2 days also you cant do that"

Tony's reply came back within a minute.

"because i made a break through on a robot also why cant i" 

"because the whole insomniac caffeine addiction thing is my thing"

"whatever. anyways can i come over and steal your coffee"

"what no."

"what why? im always so nice to you, clinttttttt and it can give us a chance to catch up"

"no. my coffee. also you're a complete asshole to me"

"okay true but besides the point" 

"can i please just come over for one cup of coffee" 

"no its 6:34 in the morning and i have work soon. plus i dont want you scaring off Pietro"

Clint phone vibrated with another reply but he didn't see the message as Pietro began to stir next to him. The blond put his phone back down on the table before turning to look down at the boy grumbling next to him. Pietro pushed himself away slightly, blinking tiredly before looking up at Clint with weary eyes. A small smile stretched across the Sokovian's chapped lips as he stared down at the other male. He sat up slowly and Clint followed suit, only to lean over and place a gentle kiss on the corner of Pietro's lips. 

"Morning," Clint murmured, his voice sounding rather hoarse as he then realised how dry his throat was. Pietro hummed a little, mumbling a reply before laying his head on the blond's shoulder. Clint chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around the skinny male. "You sleep okay?" He asked quietly, receiving a nod in reply. The burnet pulled back after a minute before glancing around the room. He rubbed his eyes carefully before moving his hand down to scratch at his beard. 

"What time is it?" Pietro asked quietly, voice deeper and accent thicker as he had just woken up. 

"About 6:30... you should go back to sleep," Clint murmured as he kissed the younger male's cheek. Pietro shook his head and turned to look at Clint, pouting softly.

"Noooo..." He whined, dragging the vowel out as he sat up slowly. "I wanna stay up so I can see you before you go to work..." The Sokovian mumbled, leaning over to cuddle into the American once he too had sat up. Clint couldn't help but smile at that. Pietro always hated Clint leaving the house so early for work. The first time he had woken up to the house empty he had freaked out and Clint had walked into the house only to be tackled by the brunet who had spent the day worried sick (Of course he had pulled back quickly in embarrassment. Clint had responded with an affectionate hair ruffle and a suggestion to watch movies.)

"You need to sleep though," Clint whispered only to get a headshake in response, pale arms wriggling around his torso and holding on tightly. The blond sighed at that but was truthfully rather thankful for the company. He liked living on his own, sure. The solitude was comforting but having someone there with him was... he didn't really know how to describe it. There's just something so nice about having someone to share your space with, especially someone you care for as much as Clint cared for Pietro. 

The pair stayed like that for a while, relaxing in the darkened room as they both leaned back against the headboard. At some point, Lucky had wiggled her way over into Clint's lap, wanting in on the morning-cuddle-session. Clint was almost sure that Pietro had dropped back off again by the time he had decided he needed to get moving to get ready for work. 

The blond carefully tried to manoeuvre himself away from Pietro but the boy moved away as soon as he tried to shuffle. Pietro made incoherent mumbles and looked up at Clint who was now swinging his legs over the bed and standing up. The Sokovian frowned slightly and watched the man stretch his arms above his head. 

"Where are you going..?" Pietro asked groggily. Clint turned and smiled at the sight of his sleepy boyfriend. 

"I need to get ready." He answered simply and shrugged before making his way out of the room and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

Pietro pouted as he stayed on the bed, watching the last traces of the male disappear through the doorway. He sighed softly to himself and turned to Lucky who was fast asleep and undisturbed by the shuffling around her. The brunet reached a tentative hand out to stroke her head carefully. The old dog leaned into the touch but otherwise stayed still in her deep sleep. 

It didn't take long for Clint to return and immediately began to get dressed. The brunet sat and watched as the other changed into a tight purple top that said "Coffee first, then you can talk" and a pair of faded grey jeans. Pietro watched the entire type with a childish frown on his face. 

"Can't you just call in sick?" The younger male huffed as he finally shuffled from the blankets, walking on his knees to kneel in the centre of the bed to get a better look at the man. Clint chuckled at that as he turned to look at the Sokovian while pulling his jeans over his legs.

"I need the money, so no. I can't, as much as I would love to stay here with you all day." Clint gave an apologetic smile and walked over to the bed, leaning in to give the other a short kiss on the forehead. Pietro looked up at his boyfriend with a pout. 

"Well can't I just come with you?" He suggested, rubbing his eyes of any remaining sleep. Clint paused and stared down at the other before shrugging. 

"Nothing stopping you if you really wanted to." The blond said and pushed away to finish getting ready. Grabbing a belt from his dressing he pulled it through the loops in his waistband to secure the jeans in place. Pietro blinked at himself, considering the fact that there was indeed nothing stopping him from going to work with Clint. Apart from the fact that he would be sat awkwardly in the middle of the cafe most of the day while Clint served people continuously. Pietro sighed and looked down. 

"Yes, but you'll be working all day and I'll just be sat awkwardly in the corner." The Sokovian pouted down at the bedsheets. Clint sighed, knowing that was true. 

"Well unless you get a job with me there's nothing else we can do." He says offhandedly, making his way to the living room to grab some coffee and breakfast before work. Pietro froze at the statement, going over it in his head. He quickly rushed out from the room to follow Clint into the kitchen, eyes wide and excited. 

"Clint, that's a brilliant idea!" He yells, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he stood watching Clint pop some bread into the toaster. The blond then turned, a confused look on his face while Lucky padded her way from the bedroom into the kitchen. The dog headed straight to her food bowl, sniffing the empty dish before scratching at the inside to inform her owner she was hungry. Clint looked over before grabbing the can of dog food, walking over to Lucky's bowl and filling it up, "What is?" He asks, standing back up and throwing the can away. Lucky sniffed at the food before happily beginning to scoff it down. 

"Working with you! It's brilliant!" The Sokovian said happily. Clint could only respond with a gaping stare. 

"Pietro-" The older man stopped as he was interrupted by the bouncing brunet. 

"No, think about it! I would be getting paid, the rent would be easier to pay, food would be more affordable and I'll actually be doing something useful. This is perfect, Clint!" He grins up at the blond man, seeing this as the perfect way to help out a little more instead of just acting as a burden for the older man. 

Clint gave a hesitant look at the idea. "Pietro, working at a cafe involves a lot of, well... socialising and speaking to people, and no offence, but you're a very, uh... How can I say this? You're a very reserved person." He explained, trying to use words that he thought would least offend the younger male. 

Pietro wasn't deterred in the slightest. "Exactly! This job will help me learn how to talk to people again!" Was this kid going to have an answer for everything? Probably. 

Clint sighed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. 

"I don't know..." The blond frowned slightly, blue eyes swimming with concern. Pietro's excited demeanour melted away, turning into a puddle of insecurity. 

"You don't think it's a good idea?" He asked and, god, how Clint hated the tone the Sokovian's voice took on. He felt like he had just stepped on Lucky's tail. 

"No, no! I think it's a great idea!" He reassured quickly, "I'm just worried, that's all. I don't want you throwing yourself into the deep end without being ready." He tried to explain, briefly glancing at the clock. He'd have to leave soon. 

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I was ready." And at that moment Pietro sounded no longer like a kid. Sometimes Clint forgot that Pietro wasn't actually a kid, the age gap was not really all that big and he had been through a lot.

Silence leaked into the room and settled there for a long while as Clint mulled everything over in his head. The Sokovian had a determined glint in his eyes, something he had never seen in the other man before. Clint gave the clock another nervous glance before sighing a little. 

"Alright, alright. We can look into getting you a job at the cafe, but I can't make any promises that you'll be able to get one today." The blond gave in as he grabbed his jacket from the back of the sofa. Pietro gave the most ecstatic grin his face could give without tearing any muscles and launched himself as Clint. Skinny arms wrapped themselves around the blond's waist with a loud laugh. 

"Thank you!" The Sokovian squeaked before being pulled off as Clint chuckled. 

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. No go get dressed or I'm gonna be late." The brunet nodded frantically before proceeding to run to his bedroom, almost tripping over the coffee table in his rush. Clint shook his head fondly as he turned to Lucky. 

"Well Lucky... looks like today is gonna be a fun day." He received a snort in response before the dog then returned to stuffing her face with food. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two men walked into the cafe just before opening time. Pietro glanced around (Only now realising what the name of the cafe was, which he really should have known from the months of him going there). 'Shield Cafe' was written above the door in bold black letters with some sort of eagle thing as the symbol beside it. 

Inside the chairs were all being taken down from the tables and on to the freshly cleaned floor. A woman with short red hair dressed in all black and an apron was currently pulling down the chairs while a man with dark skin and extremely short black hair was brushing the floor towards the back of the cafe. 

At the sound of the bell ringing above the door, the two workers looked up. The redhaired woman stared for a moment before a knowing grin spread across her face that had Pietro wishing he was back home. All she did was smile and the younger man found himself terrified. 

"I didn't know it was 'bring your boyfriend to work day'." She said, placing a chair down on the floor before then settling her hands on her hips.

"Clint has a boyfriend?!" Came a shout at Pietro quickly realised it was the man towards the back of the cafe. He quickly made his way over, abandoning his broom against a table but it soon ended up clattering to the floor. "Why didn't I know about this?" They were both looking at the Sokovian and Pietro suddenly felt very self-conscious. He stayed quiet, taking this time to look at the name tags on each worker. The red-head was apparently called 'Nat', while the man was called 'Sam'. Good to know... 

Clint heaved out a sigh and rubbed his head, but a small laughed escaped ruining the exasperated mood he was trying to show off. 

"Yes I have a boyfriend, his name is Pietro and I'm fully aware that it's not 'bring your boyfriend to work day' otherwise you would be flouncing Bruce around like a science fair award. He's here to look into getting a job." He explained before then turning to the shorter man next to him. "Pietro, this is Nat and Sam." He pointed to each respectively, "Both are asses, you'll get used to it." He gave a smirk towards his co-workers who both gave different responses to being insulted. Nat seemed the relish in the fact she had just been called an ass, while Sam seemed genuinely offended. 

Pietro gave a shy wave to the two with a small smile to accompany it. 

Nat gave a rather polite smile once she saw the wave, "It's nice to finally meet you up close." She grinned, causing a small amount of confusion to swirl up within the brunet until he realised she had probably seen him when he used to come in here to see Clint before he moved into the apartment. 

"Anyway, where's the big boss man?" Clint asked, drawing the conversation away from Pietro, much to his relief. 

"In his office giving a bollocking to the new kid. It is not pretty so I wouldn't recommend going in there for a while." Sam spoke up before then walking back over to his discarded broom to finish up sweeping. Clint let out an annoyed and slightly overdramatic groan. Nat chuckled unsympathetically and walked off to finish putting down the chairs and clean the tables. 

"Great..." The blond muttered and rubbed a hand down the side of his face. "I really don't want to have to deal with my boss in a bad mood." He sighed before looking down at Pietro who had been stood silently by his side. "I need to go get ready. Just hang about for a bit, okay?" The blond smiled before walking off to go get his apron and get ready for opening time.

As Clint disappeared behind the counter and into some sort of room Pietro stood awkwardly at the front of the cafe. He shoves his hands in his jeans, pulling nervously at the sleeves of his dark blue sweatshirt. He really hoped Clint would return soon. 

"And don't you dare drag your mother-fuckin' ass back into this goddamn cafe ever again!" Came a loud shout from somewhere within the back of the cafe that wasn't open to the everyday people who came in for the coffee. Pietro almost jumped out of his skin as he saw Nat and Sam give each other a look that silently said 'oh shit' before they quickly got back to work. Clint walked back out into the main area of the cafe at the sound of the scream, just in time to see a young girl scurry out of the cafe with tears in her eyes. Pietro's eyes widened at the sight before turning to look at the man who had followed her out. 

The man was tall, dark-skinned and dressed in a shirt, tie and a long black trench coat. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye, an aura of intimidation and pure fear surrounded him. Pietro decided he instantly didn't like this man. 

"Great, just fucking great! We have five minutes before we have to open and I'm down a worker!" Clint glanced at his boss before then quickly making his way over the Sokovian still stood by the front door. 

"Actually, boss!" He starts, awkwardly clearing his throat as the taller man turned to look at the pair with a raised eyebrow. Pietro would be lying if he said he didn't shudder on the spot with the urge to wet himself with fear. "Pietro here is looking for a job right now!" The blond gave an awkward grin, holding the younger man by the shoulders before then thrusting him forward like a sacrificial lamb. 

Pietro stood like a deer in the headlights as who he presumed was the boss of the cafe looked down at him. 

"You ever worked in a cafe before, boy?" He asked, hands folded behind his back as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Pietro shook his head, not trusting his voice to not crack with nerves. 

"You ever had any type of job before?" The boss asked and Pietro shook his head again. The man raised his eyebrow further, his eyes now glaring in the Sokovian's soul.

"Can you speak?" The man leaned down towards Pietro slightly and the boy swallowed his nerves down. 

"Y-yes.. sir." Came a rather embarrassingly small response from the brunet. There was a tense moment of silence before the tall man shrugged. 

"You're hired! Clint, show the kid to his station!" And with that the man turned, trench coat flowing behind as he walked back to his office. A door slammed seconds later. 

"Well that just happened," Sam commented as he walked off to go put his broom away in the supply closet. Nat only snickered before tucking the cloth into the pocket of her apron and walking off. 

Clint stared into space for a moment before shaking his head. "Guess you have a job now." The blond muttered before proceeding the guide Pietro to his new workstation. The Sokovian only let himself be pushed, dumbfounded at what just happened. After a second he decided he really didn't want to question it. 

Clint guided him into the kitchen area silently before stopping in front of what looked like to be a sink with a shower head attached to it? 

"This is just where you wash the dishes. You use that to rinse the plates of most of the food, wash it with soap and whatnot and then rinse it again. Then just put it here to dry." Clint explained quickly, knowing that they were going to be opening in less than a minute, and pointed at each item respectively. Pietro nodded stiffly, feeling rather overwhelmed with the whole situation. Had he really just gotten a job that quickly? "Anyways, it's pretty easy. I'll check in on you as often as I can. You'll be fine." Clint pressed a kiss to the side of the younger man's head before hearing a shout from Nat who was announcing that they were now open. Pietro only nodded again as he watched his boyfriend walk out of the room. He turned back to the sink, chewing on his lip as he felt his nerves begin to take over with nothing to occupy himself with. 

Sam walked in through the open door as Clint left and looked over at the other male. He wandered over to Pietro, clapping a hand on his shoulder before giving an encouraging grin. 

"Don't worry, new kid. Uncle Sam will be here to take care of you. If you need any help just holler, alright?" The male said gently. Pietro looked up at the cook and nodded, giving a small smile. Sam took that as a good sign to leave him being and walked off ready to make whatever orders that came in.

Pietro was left by himself, staring blankly at the strange sink before him. 

This is going to be an interesting day.


	10. Chapter 10

Clint chuckled as he entered his apartment, a dripping wet Pietro following behind with a pout pulling at his lips. 

"Come on, it's not that bad." The blond teased as he made his way through the small hallway into the main area of the apartment. Lucky bounced up at the sound of her owner's voice, instantly jumping around his feet. Clint only laughed and took out some leftover meat he had taken from the cafe from his pocket. He unwrapped the cling film and poured the various types of meat pieces over the floor when the Labrador happily lapped up the gift. 

"Clint, I sprayed myself in the face like... one hundred times. It's bad." The Sokovian sighed heavily as he stood in the hallway, water dripping on to the floor from his soaked sweatshirt and jeans. He had cleaned all of the dishes and cups he was given well and at a reasonable pace, but as a consequence, he had sprayed himself with the weird shower head multiple times. The sleeves of his sweater were soaked with soapy water from where they kept falling down during the cleaning process, and his shoes felt squishy with water from standing in a puddle all day. Sam hadn't even bothered to help whatsoever and only laughed at the other male mercilessly. 

"Yeah, but Fury paid you upfront for hiring you on such short notice. $62 is a decent amount of money." Clint stated as he pulled his jacket from his arms and tossed it on the back of a chair at his 'dining table', which was a fold-out table that could barely fit two plates situated by his window next to the kitchenette. "Plus, you now have a proper job." He added, grabbing a clean mug from the cupboard to make himself a cup of coffee. Pietro thought Clint would be sick of coffee since he worked around it all day, but apparently not. 

"It's only temporary." Pietro pointed out, tugging at the front of his sweatshirt as he stuck to his stomach. grimacing at the feeling. 

"Yeah, but if you do your job well you'll get to keep it. It's only a temp because he needs to make sure you can do it properly without any previous experience." Clint shrugged his shoulders as he set his pot to boil and turned around. He leaned back against the countertop, picking at a coffee stain on his jeans, realising it wasn't going to come off unless he washed them properly. "Now get changed, you're dripping everywhere." He gestured to the brunet's soaked form with a smirk. Pietro only gave a pointed glare before turning to scuffle towards his bedroom. 

By the time he came back with a fresh pair of sweats on and a dry shirt, Clint was sat in front of the TV with his coffee ordering what he assumed was food on the phone. Pietro silently walked over and sat down on the sofa beside the older male, giving Lucky a gentle fuss as she lifted her head in a silent beg for attention. He would be lying if he said the dog wasn't slowly beginning to grow on him. Just a little. 

Clint put the phone down and smiled over at the Sokovian, slumping back into the sofa. "Alright, pizza is ordered, my treat as a celebration for your new job." He grinned and reached over to ruffle Pietro's dark locks as the other pulled away with a soft giggled, swatting at the offending hand. Clint only continued to smile, chuckling softly as the younger male shuffled over. With only a small amount of hesitance, Pietro leaning into the blond, letting his head fall against the other's surprisingly firm chest while his arm snaked its way around Clint's stomach in a half-hug. Clint felt his heart swell in his chest as he wrapped his arm around the brunet, his fingers tracing gentle patterns over the other's back over the material of the shirt. 

"So, Pietro," The older male started, his attention now back on the TV but his focus on the boy currently curled into his side. He received a hum in response to show he had the attention of the other male. "What're you gonna do with your first bit of hard-earned money?" He asked, briefly glancing down at Pietro before looking back up at the TV to see the cartoon sponge run around with a net in his hand. 

There was a moment of silence as Pietro thought over his answer. He hadn't actually thought about it yet. The Sokovian hummed softly, reaching up to tuck back some of his hair behind his ear. He paused as the idea came to him.

"I think I have an idea..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pietro felt like a mess. A mix of nerves and excitement pooled in the pit of his stomach as he fiddled with the money in his pocket. Straight after food, Pietro had asked Clint to take him to the nearest hairdressers. Luckily there was one relatively close to the apartment that was only a ten-minute walk away. After Clint had guided him to the right place the younger male had told him to go have fun for an hour or so. The blond had been a little hesitant, but Pietro had wanted his new hair to be a surprise for the other male. 

It was something Pietro had thought about for a while. He had tidied up a little bit, but he still looked like a mess and every time he looked in the mirror all he could think about was all that time he had spent on the streets. He knew his weight would take a little while to sort out, but the one thing he could change now was his hair. And that was exactly what he was going to do. 

Once Clint had left, the younger male wandered into the building. Looking around he could see the exposed brick walls and smooth wooden flooring. To his right was a small seating hair with a comfortable looking sofa and a single seat pressed against the window with a glass coffee table placed in front. There wasn't actually anyone sitting there but there were a couple of coasters and magazine placed on the table that looked recently used.

To his left were a row of black cushioned chairs, four in total, sat in front of large mirrors. Two were currently occupied, both by women, each being worked on, one by a man and one by another woman who had brightly coloured hair. 

In front of Pietro, slightly deeper into the hairdressers was a desk with an older woman sat behind, reading glasses on and currently talking on the phone while making notes with her free hand. Behind the reception desk was what looked to be a bunch of sink type things with comfy looking reclining seats in front of them, all empty however there was a man cleaning up the area, wiping down one of the counters with a cloth. 

Pietro bit his lip nervously. He had never gotten a haircut before, at least not by himself. The last time he remembered getting a haircut was some time at the age of 10, and he had gone with both his parents and his sister. 

Pushing back the nerves, Pietro walks over to the little desk just in time for the woman to put the phone down. She gave an exasperated sigh before looking up at him with a genuine smile. 

"Hey there, sweetie. You got an appointment booked?" She asked, a lowkey Southern accent lightly coating her words. Pietro gave a stiff shake of the head, feeling his stomach twist. 

"I, uh... It was sort of a random idea thing..." He tried to explain, cringing at the shake in his own voice. The woman only smiled wider. 

"It's alright! We get a lot of short notice customers here! Can I ask what you were looking to get?" Pietro hadn't even thought about what style he wanted to get. What styles where there? What would look nice on him? He didn't have a clue about hair. His father always chose his hairstyle for him. 

"I... don't know... I'm sorry, this is kinda my first haircut..." He said sheepishly, pushing back the urge to run out and go and find Clint as quick as he could. He felt so stupid, a grown man never having a haircut before? 

"Ah, I see..." The woman said, thinking for a moment before turning towards the back area of the building. "Stephen! I have a customer for you!" She called and Pietro felt his cheeks begin to burn as the man turned away from his cleaning to look at him. His eyes lit up and he soon abandoned his work to rush over to the Sokovian boy. He stood incredibly close to Pietro as he studied him intently, fingers picking at his hair, pulling and looking before then cupping his face to look at the mess he called his facial hair. Pietro could only stand helplessly before the man pulled away with a large grin. 

"Ooh! Now this one looks interesting. I'm going to have fun with you." He winked at the brunet before grabbing him by the shoulders and guiding him over to a free chair. The women in the other chairs giggled at the sight of this petrified man being handled by this scarily enthusiastic hairdresser. Pietro was steadily growing to hate this idea with a passion.

Pietro was soon seated and the man, Stephen he remembered, was playing around with his hair, bunching it up with his fingers before brushing it back down. 

"So you have no idea what you want?" Pietro shook his head silently. "Would you like me to find some styles for you to pick from or do you want me to just surprise you? Because let me tell you, my mind is absolutely buzzing with ideas for you!" He grinned, looking at Pietro through the mirror. The brunet bit his lip, staring at his reflection for a moment. Did he really trust a stranger to just go at his hair? 

"You can surprise me..." He finally replied quietly, fiddling with his hands which currently rested in his lap. 

"Alrighty then, if you're sure! I'm gonna make you look gorgeous, don't you worry." The hairdresser grabbed the young male by the shoulders, smiling at him in the mirror before then wandering off to grab whatever tools he needed to do Pietro's hair.

It took a while for Stephen to finish with Pietro. The man had been incredibly nice, and always discussed what he was going to do with his hair before doing it, just to make sure he didn't cross any lines. But after just under an hour of work, Pietro was finally finished. 

"Okay then! And we are... Finished!" Stephen announced, brushing out the loose hairs from the final last-minute cuts he had made. He stepped back, unclipping the blanket from around the younger man's neck. With a nervous sigh, Pietro glanced up at the mirror to get a look at the new and improved version of himself. 

His hair was still a little long but looked less like a rats nest and more like a 'sexy natural messy' look as Stephen had called it. The sides and the back of his hair had all been shaved short while his hair was left long on top. It had brushed so some of it was left in his face while the other half was brushed over to the side although he knew once he stepped outside it would all just blow into his eyes. The top of his hair had been bleached and then dyed with a silvery dye, although personally, Pietro thought it looked rather white. His beard had been trimmed down to something a little longer than stubble. He looked... clean. He looked human. He... loved it. 

The man staring back at him no longer made him sick. It didn't make him think about harsh cement flooring, hiding in doorways at night, curling into a ball on a cold metal bench in the middle of a park. It didn't make him think of how he slowly starved, how he had to dig through bins at the back of shabby restaurants, or how he had to beg on the streets for even a little bit of money so just for one night, he didn't have to eat scraps of week-old food and then search around for a place to sleep without the threat of being killed. 

For once, the man staring back at him gave him hope. It gave him hope of a new and better life, of a brighter future, of a chance at finding true love, maybe even starting a family, having kids who he would take care of and love with all his heart because no child deserves to be neglected by their parents or thrown out into the streets for something they couldn't control. It gave him hope of getting a real long-term job, of buying a house where he could sleep in a real bed, Clint by his side. It gave him hope of love, of belonging, of happiness. 

Pietro didn't even register the tears streaming down his cheeks until he felt Stephen pull him into a tight hug. 

"Oh no, no, no. Honey, don't cry!" He exclaimed, looking down at the young Sokovian as he held his head to his chest, hand rubbing over his boney back. 

Pietro couldn't help the chuckle that escaped as he rushed to wipe his tears, his eyes never leaving his reflection. 

"No, no. They're good tears, I... I love it." Pietro laughed again as he heard Stephen give his own relieved laugh. 

"You scared me there for a second!" He grinned as he let go of the brunet, fluffing up his hair and fixing it up a little bit. "I'm glad I could make you happy." His grin stretched wider as he looked at Pietro in the mirror, brushing away some loose hairs on his shoulders. 

Pietro soon paid for his new haircut and left a generous tip for Stephen. The pair hugged, although it was more just Stephen hugging Pietro as he stood there rather awkwardly. With friendly goodbyes exchanged, Pietro finally walked out of the small building, feeling more confident than he ever had before. He felt ready to take on the world, and he felt ecstatic. 

Clint had busied himself with window shopping, which then eventually led to actual shopping. He had ended up buying a new toy for Lucky he thought she might like and had treated himself to a sneaky coffee from Starbucks. He had managed to occupy himself for the hour and was now making his way back to the hairdressers to meet Pietro. Honestly, he didn't know what to expect when he saw the younger male again. But he was excited.

When Clint did arrive back to where had left Pietro, he didn't even recognise the man. Only when he saw his face did he realise it was him. The blond couldn't stop his jaw-dropping at the sight of the man before him, eyes wide as he stared at the gorgeous Sokovian. 

"Holy shit... Pietro, you look great!" The words left his mouth before he could think about them, but he definitely didn't regret them, especially not with the way Pietro blushed and looked away sheepishly, but in a way that said 'I know I look good but you don't have to say it out loud'. 

"Thanks..." Pietro gave a small chuckle as he ran his hand through his hair, "I sort of just let the hair guy do whatever and this was the end result." He shrugged a little as he glanced back up. Clint gave a wide smile as he then slung his arm the younger man's shoulders, pulling him close as they began to make their way back home.

"Well whoever he was, he did a great job," Clint said as he pressed a kiss to the shorter male's head. "You look amazing. I'm digging the silver by the way." The blond complimented, ruffling up the now silver locks of the other male. "You remind me of like a cool superhero or something... Or maybe an anime character... Like that one skating one..." Clint trailed off. He never really watched anime, maybe as a kid with, what was it? Dragon Ball Z? He watched Pokemon, he knew that one. But outside of that, he didn't have a clue. 

"What's anime?" 

Clint stuttered in his walk at the question, confused as to how the male had never even heard of anime before. Then he remembered that Pietro had lived on the streets for most of his life, and by the sounds of things, his parents probably limited what he watched on TV to those ridiculous 'educational' shows that taught you how to count and the value of friendship and honesty and all that crap. Clint could never stand those types of shows. He always preferred the exciting shows that had fighting and explosions, like Power Rangers and all that stuff. 

"It's basically a Japanese cartoon, but they're not usually for kids. It cooler than it sounds." Clint explained, not wanting to go into too much detail. "There are some kids ones though. Like Pokemon, there were a few card game ones I watched when I was a kid. It was actually really tense to watch." He chuckled as he continued to walk back to his apartment. His arm had slipped down to rest comfortably around Pietro's waist. 

"Do you think you could show me some?" Clint felt his heart swell at the hopeful tone of the brunet's voice. He gave a sigh before laughing softly. 

"You know what? Sure. We should be able to find you some to watch." The blond shook his head, but he was a little curious to see what shows were still running from his childhood. And since Pietro had clearly missed out on all of the cool parts of being a kid, Clint was more than happy to give him that experience. 

When they got back to the apartment Clint kept to his promise. So with a tub of ice cream set between them, each with a spoon in hand and a blanket covering both of their laps, Clint began his search.

There was apparently a lot more Pokemon around since he was a kid. Netflix showed a dozen movies and at least 5 different series' of the famous kid's show, as well as recommendations for Yu-Gi-Oh and something called Digimon. Clint let Pietro pick whatever looked best to him, and so they were quickly led to Pokemon after Pietro had claimed 'the yellow thing looks really cute, so we can watch that one'. Clint was overwhelmed with choices but managed to choose the one he recognised the most, which happened to be the oldest one on there. 

The couple spent the night watching Ash Ketchum on his journey with 'the yellow thing', or a Pikachu as Pietro had quickly learnt, to collect badges and become the very best as the theme song had entailed. Clint would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it. The nostalgia had kicked in quickly, settling a warm feeling in his heart at the memories of him and his brother sat together in front of the small box TV with excited grins, cheering when Ash won a battle or caught a new Pokemon after some elaborate adventure where he performed some sort of good deed or made a new friend or beat Team Rocket after whatever plan they had failed. That, coupled with the sight of Pietro staring in awe at the TV as if he had just discovered a new galaxy, blue eyes sparkling at the sight of all these new strange creatures that could only speak their names for some odd reason and his lip tugged into a soft smile that never left his face made Clint feel like he was in heaven. He never wanted this moment to end. He never wanted to move from this spot on the sofa, Pietro curled into his side with Lucky laying on the floor in front of them, head rested on Clint's feet and her new toy (which had been a squeaky fox) settled beside her. Clint had left Pietro's present in the bag, deciding to give it to him tomorrow instead. 

Tonight was a good night, and the two men had never felt as happy as they did at that moment. Clint got to give back Pietro a piece of his childhood while Pietro had managed to finally move forward with his life. 

Yes, today had definitely been one of the best days of both of their lives.


	11. Chapter 11

Pietro's trial lasted for a few weeks. He came to work on time every day, worked hard and slowly managed to get a handle on how to wash dished without spraying himself in the face. Fury could clearly see he was a hard worker, determined and despite some small slip-ups, he was a good worker. It didn't take long for Pietro to be informed he was now going to be under full-time employment, with a proper contract and a proper monthly pay. Clint had been ecstatic with the development. Pietro's contract meant he was working all of the same times as Clint, minus one day where Pietro had Sundays off as well since a part-time student was taking that shift. His job was still mainly dishwashing, but during one shift, Pietro could be moved around to serving the food, cleaning up the cafe or even manning the till (Which had been a scary experience when Pietro thought he had somehow broken the till before Nat came over and helped the poor guy out. Apparently, the drawer just got a little jammed and needed a little jiggle every once in a while.)

Pietro enjoyed his job a lot. Sometimes it was a little exhausting, and he quickly understood how Clint felt on those days when he would walk in from work and collapse on the sofa with an exasperated groan. Those days usually led to Pietro making some sort of fantastic meal while Clint unloaded his issues on the younger male, usually complaining about a particularly difficult customer.

It had been a week since Pietro had got the job, and it was currently Saturday. Both him and Clint had the day off; Clint had woken up much later than Pietro had and was greeted with a lovely breakfast consisting of waffles and coffee. In reality, it should have been more of a brunch with the time Clint had actually arisen from his bed, but Pietro knew Clint didn't like big meals when he had just woken up and had decided that he would make sure to cook something a little bigger for dinner to make up for it. 

That was, until, Clint had decided on something else to do for dinner. 

"Hey, Pietro?" He called, currently sat on the sofa, Lucky beside him as tugged at a multicoloured rope that the dog was holding onto tightly with her teeth, occasionally growling with the effort of tugging back. They had just finished their breakfast and Pietro had shooed the other out of the kitchen space to do the dishes, despite Clint's complaints. 

Pietro hummed in response, hands working effortlessly with the dishes and the cloth. He had started doing the dishes more and more over the time he had been staying with Clint, claiming it made him feel better about the older male letting him stay with him in the first place. Even though it was no longer about Clint helping out a homeless man and it was now about Clint wanting to keep the other around because he enjoyed it, Pietro still felt the need to prove himself thankful and not a burden. Clint decided to stop trying to change the other male's thoughts, he didn't think it would ever work. 

"We haven't properly celebrated you getting the job." The blond said, seemingly more focused on the dog than his boyfriend as he tugged the rope a little harder, causing Lucky to jerk forward a little bit to not give up her precious toy. 

Pietro paused in the middle of wiping down Clint's favourite mug and glanced over at the blond sat on the couch. He didn't say anything to allow the man to continue. 

"We should go out tonight. Like, you know... To a restaurant or something and have a nice meal, my treat." Clint turned his head now to look at the Sokovian in his kitchen. The younger male blinked at the suggestion, taking a moment to consider whether or not it would be something he would enjoy. 

"You mean... like a date?" Pietro asked curiously, his head tilting a little as he set the glass down on the counter to put away later. That caused Clint's cheeks to turn ever so slightly pink. 

"I mean... I guess you could think of it like that?" Clint looked back down at the dog that had no managed to fit half of herself into his lap, the rope pressing into his thigh as she chewed on it. He let it go, deciding to just let her play by herself. "Sure, it's a date. So what do you say?" He turned his head to look back up at the brunet who had no returned to the dishes. His face was hidden so Clint missed the growing pink dusting over his cheeks and ears. 

"I think I would like that very much." Pietro finally said, a small smile gracing his lips at the idea of going on an actual real date with Clint. They were living together, and at this point sleeping together almost every single night now and they hadn't really gone on a real date yet unless you were to count all those times they spent sat together in the cafe before Pietro moved in. Pietro found it rather humorous how they were almost doing things backwards. Sleeping together before even going out to dinner together, hell they hadn't even gone to the movies or a walk through the park. Pietro somehow felt it was fitting that his first relationship wouldn't follow the norm. 

He didn't take much time to finish up the dishes, putting them away in the cupboards they belonged in after he had organised the kitchen. He set the towel on the side by the sink and felt two arms snake around his waist from behind. He immediately leaned back into the firm body behind him, breathing in the smell of coffee and dog, with a hint of lavender. It didn't take him long to feel at home in Clint's arms and embrace the more physical side of their relationship. He tried to initiate more touching now, and they kissed a little more often which was nice. Clint was still going slow and they seemed to had settled down into a comfortable position of sleeping together, where kisses were exchanged and cuddles happened but nothing went any further. They were both happy with what they had for now and it worked. 

The two soon decided to go to the living room and relax for a few hours while Clint decided on a place to take the Sokovian that wasn't too pricey but was still nice. Honestly, the town he lived in was shabby and there weren't many nice places that he thought would be date suitable. Maybe they could drive out of town a little? 

Pietro continued his Pokemon from the night before, eager to get back into Ash's journey across the land. He curled up on the sofa, knees to his chest as he hugged them loosely. Clint didn't know how that was comfortable but he wasn't going to complain if the other was happy in that position. He let the younger male enjoy his cartoons and continued scrolling through his phone for a good place to eat. It took a while of looking through a few websites and he finally managed to settle on a cute little place just outside town that wasn't too out of his price range. He also knew Pietro wouldn't want to go anywhere too busy or fancy, and honestly neither would he. 

It was around 6 o'clock when Clint finally announced they needed to get ready. Apparently, he had a reservation ready for 6:30 which caused Pietro to have mixed feelings. He didn't like the fact that this place required a reservation unless Clint only did it to be on the safe side in which case Pietro didn't like the fact that this restaurant could potentially busy enough that the other had felt the need to book a table. He knew he was overthinking but he wanted to enjoy his date with Clint, the first real normal thing he got to do, the first thing he didn't have to do with the end goal to just simply be to survive, and he didn't want to ruin it with his stupid nerves playing up because of a few extra people inside the building. Pietro had always hated crowds, and the streets didn't exactly cause his love for people to grow. 

Pietro walked off to his room to get changed, watching as Clint did the same with Lucky following at his feet. He had already asked what type of dress code this place had, but Clint had given a pretty vague answer and told him to wear whatever he was comfortable in. Which honestly didn't leave him with much to go off of. Pietro sighed as he looked over at the drawers, his clothes no unpacked a few more added to the collection now that he had earned his own money. Winter clothing was a must, despite the season starting to come to an end and spring coming around the corner Clint had insisted. Clint had also insisted on getting plenty of PJs and sweatpants. Pietro hadn't bothered to buy any decoration for his room, he spent almost every night in Clint's room unless Clint fell asleep early and Lucky took up the rest of the bed space. 

Pietro sighed softly to himself, pulling out the second drawer where he kept his main items of clothing, though some over the course of the time he had been living here had somehow found their way into Clint's room, while some of Clint's hoodies had ended up in Pietro's drawers. Not that either of them seemed to mind. 

The Sokovian managed to settle on a pair of jeans and a light blue shirt with the only pair of shoes he owned. He also made sure to grab a jacket, knowing that Clint's car was running on its last legs and the heating had long since stopped working to its full capacity. It was some sort of leather/hoodie mix that he thought would do. He didn't think he would need his thicker coat anymore, and he doubted he would need it for another few months. 

He freshened himself up before getting changed, even trying to sort out his hair but to no avail. Despite having the haircut, he still looked like a bird had decided to make a home in it. it doesn't take him long to finish getting ready, even stealing some of Clint's cologne to make himself a bit more appealing. 

When he walked back out he saw Clint standing in the living room, gathering his keys and wallet, seemingly checking his money to make sure they had enough for the dinner. He was dressed in a tight-fitting purple and black shirt, some faded grey jeans and worn out converse. Lucky was running around his feet, possibly thinking that she would be getting a walk. Pietro almost felt sorry for not taking the dog with him. Almost. 

Clint looked up as he closed his wallet, placing it in his back pocket while his keys stayed in his hand. He shooed away Lucky, telling the golden retriever to go lie down. Despite a whine of protest, the dog walked off to her bed, spinning around once, twice, three times before finally lying down. Her big brown eyes watched sadly before she gave a resigning sigh, eyes falling shut with a quiet huff. 

"Hey, you ready to go?" The blond asked, hand held out and ready for the other to take. Pietro gave a nervous smile, wrapping his hand around Clint's. He internally grimaced at the fact his hands were so clammy, having not even noticed his own nervous sweating until his hand made contact with Clint's hand, dry and calloused, grounding in a way as it reminded him that Clint was there for him, and whether or not this restaurant was going to be deserted or booked full, he would be okay.

Pietro nodded to the older male as he felt the other squeeze his sweaty hand. "Let's go." He said, accent thick with nerves forcing him to clear his throat. Clint nodded, pressing a firm kiss to his boyfriend's forehead before he began to lead him out of the apartment. Lucky lifted her head once, watching as the two humans left through the door. She gave another huff and lowered her head, shuffling so her nose pressed into the stuffed fox toy she had recently been given, deciding to sleep until her owners returned. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The drive to the restaurant was peaceful. Clint had turned the radio on, hitting it a couple of times to actually get it to work. Pietro didn't know the music, it sounded somewhat Jazz like, maybe blues? He didn't know. But it was relaxing whatever it was. 

Clint had told him before getting into the car it would take about half an hour to get to the place, maybe longer depending on traffic. Pietro didn't mind, he enjoyed car rides. He always had, ever since he was little. The hum of the engine, the vibrations, even the bums of the road soothed him. What was it that some people did? Road trips? Maybe he could convince Clint to take him on one. 

The trip was filled with a quiet conversation after Clint had noticed that Pietro was already half asleep ten minutes into the car ride, head pressed to the cool glass window to his left. 

"You're not gonna fall asleep on me already are you?" Clint teased, nudging the younger male beside him with his elbow, eyes flitting from the road only for a second. "At least wait until we get to the actual date." He grinned, but Pietro caught the flash of worry in those clear blue eyes.

Pietro chuckled softly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he sat up again. He stared out of the window for a moment, the sun already beginning to settle behind the hills turning the sky hues of oranges and pinks, hints of purple mixing in all together. 

"Sorry." Pietro then turned to look at the other, giving him a comforting smile he hoped Clint could see in his peripheral to comfort his nerves. "I'm fine. I just... Cars always make me tired." He shrugged his shoulders and turned to look back out of the window, wanting to enjoy the sight of the sunset while he could. Street lights and buildings sometimes blocked the rather beautiful views, but he had a clear view most of the time. "I never understood why, but I've always rather enjoyed the feeling of being inside a car. It's... soothing." He explained, hoping that the older male would understand. He turned to look over at Clint, noticing the smile reach his eyes as the worry faded. 

"Yeah, they can be kinda soothing I guess." Clint shrugged but it was in no way dismissive. "I didn't drive around a lot as a kid, so I haven't really experienced car rides where I'm not driving." He continues, his eyes occasionally flitting over to Pietro but never long enough to where he would be putting either of them in danger. Clint couldn't help but let his mind fall back to that time a few months ago where he first brought Pietro to his home. It had snowed quite a bit and he had felt bad for not bringing Pietro to his home sooner. Christmas had been rough, his mind caught on to the homeless man the entire time. He didn't want to get murdered, which is why he had held off from the invitation for so long. 

Pietro nodded, now looking a bit more awake. Clint almost regretting stopping Pietro from having a small nap in the car, the Sokovian boy's sleeping habits still weren't great but Clint knew that if the other slept now he definitely wouldn't be able to sleep tonight which would make him tired the next day and undo all the work Pietro had put into making sure he slept at night, despite his fear of nightmares. "Could your roommate not drive?" He asked, completely forgetting the name of his boyfriend's previous roommate. Something with a 'T'? Terrence? 

"Oh, Tony? I think he knew how, but he never drove anywhere. He worked a lot from home in our apartment, and if he needed to go anywhere he preferred to take a taxi or just ask me to take him. Don't ask me why he never drove." Clint chuckled at the memory of his old roommate and best friend. The guy was annoying on many levels, and he much preferred Nat and Sam, but Tony was like a brother to him. They helped each other through a lot and Clint knew he didn't regret a single day he had spent with the guy. 

Pietro nodded in acknowledgement but didn't reply, not really sure what with. A calm smile settled on his face as he thought about what this Tony guy was like. 

The two sat through the rest of the drive in comfortable silence. 

They got to the restaurant on time and the two got settled into their table the minute they got there. Clint pulled out Pietro's chair for him to sit, and though the brunette knew it was more as out of joke courtesy he still appreciated the gesture, even if the bow he did afterwards was a little embarrassing. 

Once the two were settled at the table, a nice little round thing towards the back of the building next to a window, a little secluded with a candle in the centre, Pietro looked around the restaurant. The place was quiet. It didn't look particularly empty, but everyone was keeping to themselves, chatting in calm voices. It didn't seem overly busy either, it was a nice balance and Pietro felt stupid for thinking the worse. 

The two talked for a while, just easy, light conversation about nothing in particular until the waiter that had led them to their table came back, what looked to be some type of smartphone and pen in his hand. It looked somewhat similar to Clint's beat-up android. Pietro couldn't help but look at it. He hadn't really seen many phones up close, and certainly hadn't ever really used one. He used to have a flip phone in cases of emergency but it was never used. 

Clint ordered the drinks, assuming the shy Sokovian wouldn't want to speak. He ordered some Pepsi for each of them and the waiter left, claiming to be back soon with their refreshments. 

Pietro let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding after the waiter left, looking over at Clint who was smiling at him from across the table. Pietro always felt as if that smile was contagious and couldn't help but smile back at the blond. 

"So..." Pietro started, picking absently at the table's edge where a sticker had been placed and not removed correctly. "Tell me about this Tony guy, what was he like?" He asked, using his other hand to rest his head on, elbow resting on the tabletop.

Clint laughed a little as he took off his jacket, setting it on the back of his chair before he leant back, relaxing. "Tony... Man, where do I start with that guy? We met in high school and started flat sharing in college. Well... He was in college, I wasn't. I needed a place to stay, but I couldn't afford it and so we came up with the idea to live together. He comes from a pretty wealthy background, he didn't need to share but he did it anyway." Clint smiled as he sat there thinking about his best friend, "Tony's a good guy. He's kinda an ass sometimes, a little egotistical too. But he's got a cool sense of humour, sarcastic, kinda comes off as mean but that's just him." He shrugged his shoulders as Pietro nodded at the new information. 

"He sounds like a pretty nice guy," Pietro said kindly. Clint nodded but his smile turned a little more strained as he continued. 

"Yeah..." He said softly, "He is... He's like a brother to me, Pietro. We... we helped each other through some tough times..." Clint's smile fell a little, "He's kinda annoying... But his heart is always in the right place." 

Pietro's lips pulled down into a frown, noticing the tense emotion on the blond's face. He felt bad for bringing up the topic, but he wanted to know more. This man, Tony, was apart of Clint's past which then made him apart of Clint, in a way. Clint never really opened up about his past, he had only mentioned that he didn't know his mother and his father wasn't a great person, but never went into any detail. 

Just then the waiter came back with a small black tray, too tall glasses placed on top, both filled to the top with Pepsi with little black straws. He placed them down on the table with a kind smile and said he would be back so they had time to figure out what they wanted to order. 

Clint took a grateful sip from his drink, his throat suddenly a little dry from his talk with Pietro. He knew he needed to open up a little more, after the absurd amount of trust the kid had given to him since the first day they met. But still, Clint had always struggled to open up about his past, even to his closet friends. 

"What type of thing did you guys help each other through? If you don't mind me asking..." Pietro asked tentatively, deciding to let his curiosity get the better of him despite the look on Clint's face. Pietro could see every emotion go across the blond's face. Fear, nerves, consideration, sadness. Fondness. 

"Tony... he has his issues, just like we all do. While we were living together he hit a really low point in his life. He was in a car crash, suffered from some PTSD for a while, not to mention his past... He started drinking a lot, became pretty depressed and became an alcoholic. I stuck by his side the entire time, made sure to help him up whenever he fell back down. He got help and stuff." Clint explained, again not going into detail but Pietro could respect that. Not only would that be invading Tony's privacy, but it would also be making Clint live through those rough times again. Pietro listened carefully, noticing the tight features of Clint's face loosen as he continued. "After a year or so he met this guy, Steve. I think his life basically changed the second he lay eyes on this guy. He still has his moments, and he and Steve used to argue a lot but... Well, he's doing well in life for himself now. He's married, got a job as some sort of tech guy. Hell, they even have a kid!" Clint chuckled as he thought about the times he had met Peter. The kid was sweet as could be, orphaned at a young age and had been through some pretty rough shit at such a young age, but he was still like a walking ball of sunshine. Kids. 

Pietro laughed a little with Clint, glad that things for Tony had gotten better. He had never met the man, but he was very curious to see what this guy was like and most importantly he was curious to meet more of Clint's friends. Nat and Sam have been so great and nice to him, Pietro would even go as far as to say they were his friends now too. He was excited to meet everyone Clint knew, to get to know them and their relationship with Clint. Maybe it was his way of trying to get back what he could never have after he had been kicked out on to the streets. Maybe he was just genuinely curious about Clint's friends, to learn more about the man he called his boyfriend. Maybe it was both. He didn't know. 

"I'm glad he's doing so much better now. I will admit, I am very interested in meeting this friend of yours," Pietro said, taking a sip at his drink for the first time, letting the icy liquid refresh his throat as did Clint. 

"About that," Clint started, taking another long sip from his drink before speaking again, "Tony keeps messaging me about wanting to meet you. I didn't really know how to bring it up since I know you're still kinda... nervous around new people." The blond looked a little sheepish, shrugging his shoulders. 

Pietro perked up at this. "Really? You... Do you talk about me to other people?" The brunette asked, giggling into his hand as the look on Clint's face, his eyes wide and cheeks lighting up a pale pink. 

"What? Pfft, no... I mean yeah! Just a little. You are my boyfriend after all." Pietro only laughed harder as Clint tried to explain himself, making himself more flustered in doing so. He laughed despite himself, joining the younger man as he shakes his head to himself. 

Once the pair calmed down, Pietro spoke up with a bright, if a slightly nervous, smile on his face. "Well then, I'd be more than happy to meet him." 

Clint smiled widely and nodded, "In that case, I'll message Tony later and set something up next weekend?" He offered, hoping the meeting would go well. He hoped Tony liked Pietro and vice versa. It would be heartbreaking if Clint's friends didn't get along with Pietro, especially since it seemed he and Pietro were in it for the long run. Clint blinked at this realization. Shit, hadn't they already been together for like.. two months? Clint knew for a fact that this was probably his longest relationship if he was honest. But the idea of his relationship with Pietro lasting even longer sent chills down his spine, the good kind. He had never been able to imagine himself in a long-term relationship. Until now. 

Clint clapped his hands together, quickly breaking his own train of thought. "Right then, let's look at these menus. I'm starving!" Clint gave a lopsided grin as he picked up his own menu and began looking at the food options, watching as Pietro did the same with a cute squint on his face. 

Man, Clint was so done for.


	12. Chapter 12

Clint had messaged Tony later in the evening after they got back home. Pietro had fallen asleep pretty quickly once they had gotten settled in for the night so Clint took the opportunity to message his friend, not yet tired himself. 

Pietro was happily buried under the covers, his head resting on the blond's stomach as he slept peacefully. Clint was sat up resting against the headboard, his phone resting in his hand and the only light in the room aside from the small beam that came from the still slightly opened door.

It wasn't that late so Clint knew Tony would still be up. It was only about 10 at night by the time the two came back from dinner and got settled in for the night. Tony was up working late in his office while Steve was asleep, apparently, trying to work through a bug in some sort of computer his company was making. He had decided to make some small talk before bringing up the inevitable.

"so, i wanted to ask you something"

"what is it? "

"if its to sneak you a new phone from the company the answer is no"

"i can buy myself a phone tony fuck off"

"pietro wants to meet you"

Clint couldn't have cringed more as he sent the message. Sure, he wanted Tony to meet Pietro. Tony was like family to him and Pietro meant a lot, but he knew his robot obsessed friend could be very overbearing at times, especially to someone like Pietro and he didn't want the Sokovian to ever feel scared or uncomfortable as long as he could help it.

"okay great." 

"steve has been excited to meet the guy" 

"pete wants to meet his new uncle too" 

Clint smiled at that. He missed Peter and probably hadn't seen the guy since Christmas time. Man, he really needed to work on visiting his friends more often. He couldn't even remember the last time he had hung out with Nat or Sam outside of work.

"yeah well we're free next weekend"

"as long as you promise not to scar my boyfriend then ill bring him over"

"pls im a delight"

"Tony i'm being serious. 

"Pietro is really nervous around new people so you cant be an asshole to him."

It took Tony a few minutes to reply. 

"alright i'll be nice to your bf chill"

"besides steve will be upset if im mean"

"i dont like it when stevie is upset"

"yeah, yeah whatever."

"anyway steve is awake and whining"

"he wants attention gtg" 

Clint chuckled quietly to himself, pausing as he felt shuffling again his abdomen. He looked down to see Pietro still sleeping peacefully, silver strands falling into his eyes, lips parted as he breathed softly and slowly, calm and relaxed in this state. Clint wished he could see this type of relaxed look on Pietro's face when he was awake and not just asleep. He wished he could just kiss away all of those bad feelings, make Pietro happy, make him forget everything. 

A heavy sigh fell from the blonde's lips as he set his phone down on his bedside table and began to get comfortable so he could get some sleep. He ended up curling most of his body against the pillows as Pietro attached himself to the older male like a baby koala, arms locked around his waist and face buried into Clint's clothed chest. 

Clint didn't know how he had ended up being so lucky, meeting someone like Pietro. He felt somewhat blessed by the universe for sending him the adorable Sokovian. He didn't think he could feel like this, like some sort of romance novel character. He didn't think those types of feelings were real, he didn't believe in soul mates or destiny. But maybe, just maybe, Pietro would change. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The week went by slowly, to say the least. The cafe had been surprisingly busy, and all Pietro could think about was getting to meet Clint's closet friend. 

He was nervous, yes, but also excited. He just didn't know one outweighed the other. 

The closer it got to the weekend the more slowly things seemed to be getting, both for Pietro and for Clint. 

Clint was definitely more nervous about it than excited. He didn't want this to go downhill, he wanted Pietro to have a good time. But he was worried that the young male would get overwhelmed. This was a bit more intimate than meeting his co-workers. It was different and he didn't know how Pietro would feel. 

When the weekend finally came, the two men were up earlier than normal. Around 8 am Clint was up and making breakfast and coffee for the pair, something he hadn't done in a long time. Only about 5 minutes later Pietro was up and trudging his way into the kitchenette in search of both food and his nervous boyfriend. The Sokovian padded into the kitchen, bare feet tapping gently against the cold tiled floor. 

Clint had made some toast and jam, and honestly, Pietro didn't expect much. Not that he minded. 

The two sat and ate breakfast together on the sofa, Lucky at their feet waiting to get her paws on the leftovers. Pietro talked about how excited he was to meet Tony and his family. They lived in the centre of New York in a fancy apartment complex and Pietro was excited to see the nicer parts of the city, too. It would be his first time going out of town to a different part of New York and he was interested in seeing what it was like. 

Clint listened more than happily, trying to absorb the brunette's excitement to calm his nerves about today. They would be leaving soon and then they would be on the road for 45 minutes or so, depending on traffic. 

Breakfast was finished within ten minutes and Lucky was given some pieces of crust to satisfy her. They cleaned up and then went to get ready for the day ahead. They both ended up having showers despite not originally planning to and got changed into some decent clothing. Clint ended up going with a pair of faded jeans, his beat-up converse and a random purple shirt. Pietro came out wearing a sweater that had grey sleeves and a blue body that was purposefully baggy on him and a pair of grey skinny jeans that weren't all that skinny on the Sokovian. Though he finally looked more like a human and less like the walking dead the guy was still underweight and boney in places. His stomach was filling out a little and his jeans fit a little better without the need for a belt, but his hips still poked out and his ribs were still noticeable.

They were both ready and on the road by 9. Clint had messaged Tony to give him a heads up that they had left. 

Clint turned on the radio to give himself a distraction and Pietro was too busy looking out of the window, and only grew more intrigued the further they got out of town and the scenery changed more and more. 

The ride lasted about an hour thanks to traffic and the couple had ended up playing a silly game of 'I Spy' to pass the time after Pietro got bored at staring at a bunch of cars. The ride was long but pleasant and Clint eventually forgot about all his worries about seeing Tony. Today was meant to be a nice fun day, no stress. Just fun. And Clint knew that if he only continued to worry about it he would probably end up jinxing the day. That what people say right? If you think positively the day will go well. 

Tony's apartment complex was one of the biggest and shiniest in this part of New York and you could barely miss it. Clint knew exactly where he was going but still double-checked what apartment number the family were living in. He pressed the buzzer at the front door that would link them to Tony's apartment. Pietro stood close to Clint, looking around at the bustling streets. People walked by, some on their phones, some seemingly talking to thin air, others with a friend or family member. Everyone was so different, caught up in their own world despite the busy energy around them. It was so interesting to the Sokovian who lived most of his life in such a quiet environment. 

There was a slight crackle that came from the speaker before a smooth voice could be heard.

"Hey Clint, come on up!" The voice said cheerfully before a buzz could be heard. Clint pushed the door and walked on inside the building, turning to look over at Pietro. 

"That was Steve. He's basically a giant labrador." He supplied his boyfriend helpfully. Pietro smiled a little and nodded, thankful to not be left in the dark. He appreciated Clint making sure he knew what was going on. 

The area they walked into was large. There were postboxes on the wall with the tenants' names written on each little door, a couple of little seating areas that Pietro didn't understand the reason for. There was a set of stairs at the back of the room towards the right and an elevator set on the left. Clint didn't even glance at the stairs and began tugging Pietro into the elevator. He explained that Tony lived on the top floor as he pushed the button labelled '10'. Pietro internally winced at the idea of climbing 10 flights of stairs and said nothing on the matter. Though he didn't particularly like elevators he much preferred spending a minute in this death trap than spend half an hour climbing upstairs. 

The elevator apparently went straight to Tony's apartment which took up an entire floor of the building. Pietro knew that Tony came from a wealthy background, but he hadn't expected this.

When the elevator opened, Pietro was met with a large open-floor-plan area. At the far end of the room was a wall made entirely of glass windows, the flooring there raised up a little with about three steps. On top of the raised platform was an easel with a large half-filled canvas resting on top. Next to it was a little table with a paint palette currently wrapped up in cling film to preserve the paint, a cup of water next to it holding several paintbrushes. 

In front of Pietro was what seemed to be the sitting area filled with white plush looking couches, a large flat-screen TV with a few games consoles on a little table underneath as well as numerous games next to them. There was a little glass coffee table covered with coloured pencils and crayons and paper. Off to the right was a kitchen area with a dining area placed not far from it. There were two doors on the wall to Pietro's left, assumingly bedrooms or bathrooms of sorts. 

Pietro had never seen anything so grand. He clung to Clint's arm, feeling a little overwhelmed all of a sudden at the sight of the penthouse. He felt out of place and a little uncomfortable, this was nothing compared to Clint's apartment or his old home. It was insane. 

Clint must have sensed Pietro's discomfort because he wrapped his arm around the younger male and leant down to whisper in his ear. "Hey, it'll be okay. Tony likes the act all big and posh, but he really isn't." He said, pressing a kiss to Pietro's temple before pulling away. He looked up to see a small child running towards them, a wide grin on his face, dressed in a pair of jeans and a red top. The kid looked to be about 6 or 7. Pietro looked over at him, quickly realising that this must be the kid Clint had told him about, Peter. 

"Uncle Clint!" He cheered and wrapped his arms around Clint, pressing his face to his leg as he looked up at the man, practically vibrating in excitement. Clint only laughed and lifted the child, ruffling up his light brown hair as he held him against his hip. 

"Hey, buddy! How's my little spider monkey?" He asked and tickled the young boy causing him to wriggle in his arms, giggling happily. Clint chuckled and presses a kiss to Peter's head before looking up again to see one of the boy's parents walking in behind him. Pietro could only watch, nervously standing by Clint's side as he resisted the urge to grab on to the older man's shirt and bury his face into his back. 

The man that walked out was tall, muscular and blond. He was at least 6 foot, dressed in only a white shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants, both of which were covered in various colours of paint splatters. Pietro didn't miss the set of dog tags around his neck and only felt more on edge. This guy was apart of the army..? 

The blond smiled kindly as he saw the two men, "Clint, it's good to see you." He said more than kindly and held his hand out. Clint shook it with a smile of his own. 

"Yeah, good to see you too, Steve." He said before pulling his hand back. He picked up Peter and sent him down with another ruffle of his hair before watching the boy run to his father. 

Pietro continued to watch, feeling incredibly out of place. His hand found Clint's without even thinking as he stared down at the small child. Peter looked straight back at him, now wrapped around his father's leg and clearly trying to figure out who he was. Pietro bit his lip and tightened his grip on Clint's hand, feeling his boyfriend reassure him with a squeeze of his own. 

Steve looked over at Pietro and his smile only widened. He quickly offered his hand out to the younger boy. Pietro glanced at Clint before turning back to the tall blond. He offered his hand out to him, nervous but not wanting to seem rude. He remembered what Clint had said about Steve basically being a giant labrador and tried to relax, giving a small smile. 

"Hi, I'm Steve. You must be Pietro, right?" Steve said as he shook the other man's hand using both of his own, completely covering the brunette's much smaller hand. Pietro nodded quietly as his hand was released, "It's nice to finally meet you. I'll admit, Clint hasn't said a lot about you." He chuckled before stepping back. Pietro turned to look at his boyfriend, laughing a little at the blush he saw forming over his cheeks. 

"Yeah, well. You know what Tony is like." Clint said as he rubbed the back of his neck causing Steve to chuckle. 

"Anyway, make yourselves at home. Tony is in his office so I'll just go tell him you're here." Steve said with a smile, nudging Peter towards the coffee table before he then walked off to go find Tony. Peter scurried over to the coffee table and sat down on a cushion that appeared to have been taken from the sofa. He eagerly picked up a pencil and continued drawing on one of the numerous pieces of paper. 

Clint turned to look down at his boyfriend and began pulling him over to the couch. "You okay?" He asked as he sat himself down on the sofa and pulled the young brunette down with him so they were sat side by side. Clint never let go of his hand, knowing that Pietro was nervous. 

The Sokovian nodded as he glanced around the luscious apartment again, "Yes, I'm just... a little overwhelmed." He admitted and tried to relax into Clint's side as he turned back to look at him.

Clint nodded with an amused smile, "I get that. But really, try not to let the look of the place get to you." He said softly, his voice soothing as he squeezed the younger man's hand again, his thumb brushing over his knuckles. The brunette managed a nod, letting Clint's words seep in. 

Peter suddenly got up and bounced over to Clint, climbing into the man's lap as quickly as he could and lifted a piece of paper to his face. "Uncle Clint! Look what I drew!" He said cheerfully and Pietro couldn't stop the smile that formed on his face from the child's bright mood. Clint took the picture from Peter's tiny hands and looked at the paper. 

"Wow! Look at this!" He said, obviously acting a little more shocked than he actually was. He grinned and showed the picture to Pietro, "Look at this, Pietro! Ain't he a good little artist?" He asked. Pietro blinked as he looked down at the picture, glancing over the paper to see the wide hazel eyes of the young boy who drew it, eagerly waiting for approval. 

"It's, uh, it's great." Pietro managed, a small smile stretched over his lips as he watched the way Peter vibrated in Clint's lap at the compliment. Pietro didn't really have any reference to what was good and bad for a child's drawing but knew he couldn't tell the child his drawing wasn't any good even if it was the worst thing on the planet.

Peter took the paperback and hugged it to his chest, wiggling to get comfortable as he giggled. Bright eyes stared at Pietro as the young boy continued to giggle, "You sound funny." He managed to say through his giggles. Pietro laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he realised the kid probably hadn't heard an accent like his before. 

"That's because he's not from around here," Clint said and tickled Peter's sides, trying to get the child to understand. Pietro was grateful for it really. He didn't know how to explain to a child why he didn't sound like everyone else. 

Peter didn't really seem to care that Pietro didn't sound like the others, he simply found it funny and that was that. Clint moved the boy off of his lap and nudged him towards the coffee table again. 

Just then, Steve walked back into the living area from a door that Pietro hadn't even noticed tucked behind a wall on the raised platform. This time though there was a man following behind.

The man was much shorter than the blond, dressed in sweatpants and a Black Sabbath shirt with brown hair and a matching goatee. His face had a smear of grease and he held a cloth in his hand, looking a little frazzled as if he had forgotten what day it even was. Pietro quickly realised that this must be Tony, and also realised that Clint was right. With the look of the apartment, he had honestly expected a man to walk out in a full-blown tuxedo or at the very least a button-up shirt and dress pants. But what he got was a guy dressed in more casual clothes than both himself and Clint, and the guy was also covered in grease. 

"Clint, man. Totally slipped my mind you were coming today." Tony said as he walked over to the pair on the couch. Steve walked over to Peter and kneeled next to him at the coffee table, checking up on his son who happily began rambling on about his pictures. 

Clint shook his head and stood up, shaking the hand that was extended towards him before pulling his best friend into a hug. "You always forget." He chuckled as he pulled back. Tony chuckled too, this being a common occurrence every time Clint came over to Tony's penthouse. 

It was then Tony looked over at the younger male still sat on the couch, and Clint had never seen the man grin so wide. "Ah! This must be Pietro, huh?" He turned to his best friend with a small smirk before he pushed his way around to the Sokovian. 

Pietro stood up automatically, brushing down his sweater to look more presentable even though it did nothing. He was just about to hold his hand out to shake but Tony beat him to it, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. Pietro tried to ignore the undignified squeak that came out of him at the sudden action and managed to laugh it off, giving the other man a short and rather awkward hug back. 

Tony pulled Pietro away, holding him at arm's length with a wide grin. He gave the boy a once-over, looking at him from top to bottom before turning to his best friend to give him a wink. "Got yourself a nice looking kid there, Clint." He smirked and Pietro felt his cheeks flush, glancing over at his boyfriend in a silent scream for help. 

Clint looked almost just as flushed as Pietro did as he pulled him away from the greasy man, wrapping an arm around his waist as he held him at his side. "Tony, what did I say? Be nice!" He scolded, though it was playful as he pointed his finger at his best friend. Steve sighed a little and shook his head in the background as though this was something he had hoped wouldn't happen but knew it most likely would anyway. Tony didn't seem to care, his smirk etched on to his face as he folded his arms. Pietro definitely liked Steve more; Steve seemed nicer than Tony. 

"Are you Clint's new boyfriend?" Peter suddenly spoke up, looking up from his drawing with wide innocent eyes. Pietro froze a little, not sure what to say to the kid before then realizing that the child had two fathers and had no issue with gay couples. 

"Sure is, kiddo!" Clint answered proudly, patting Pietro's hip as he grinned as if winning the best prize he could ask for. Pietro smiles a little, shrinking slightly against the blond with red cheeks. 

Peter gasped and clapped his little hands together, bouncing against the cushion he was still sat on. "Does that mean I get another Uncle?" He asked, barely able to contain his excitement at the prospect of having another uncle. Peter enjoyed having a large family, and it had only been growing since he was little. 

Steve chuckled and ruffled his son's hair, "Don't you have enough Aunties and Uncles?" He asked with a small laugh, looking at the way his kid puffed out his cheeks. 

"You can never have too much family." He stated as if it was a rule set in stone. Steve laughed again and smiled. 

"Well, I suppose that's right." He said, not going to argue with Peter over this. He also agreed that a family could never be too big. As long as everyone loved each other that's all that mattered. 

Peter then turned to set his eyes upon the young Sokovian again and grinned, "Uncle Pietro." He said, testing the words on his tongue as if to see if they worked before then saying, "I like it." With an affirmative nod. 

Pietro laughed a little and rubbed the back of his neck, not sure how to respond. He wasn't going to say anything to dishearten the kid but he also thought that the sound of being an uncle was a lot of hard work and he could barely look after himself, let alone a child.

Tony shook his head in amusement as Steve spoke up with an apologetic smile, seeing Pietro's discomfort. "Sorry about him. He has a very big heart." Steve explained as he patted Peter's head affectionately. There was more to this than just having a big heart, Pietro could see it in the sad look in the man's eyes as his son continued drawing obliviously, but he didn't want to pry. After a moment Steve cleared his throat and looked up towards his guests with a smile. "Anyways, how about we all sit and I'll make some tea and coffee?" He offered and looked around the small group of three for confirmations. Everyone nodded and Steve quickly scurried off to the kitchen to get started on drinks. 

Clint sat back down in the same spot as before and gestured for Pietro to sit next to him. He didn't argue and quietly sat beside his boyfriend, their legs brushing together but there was still a small gap between them. Tony sat himself down on the edge of the sofa, the end nearest Peter to be able to keep an eye on his son. 

Steve swiftly made drinks for everyone, asking for Pietro's preferences beforehand to make sure he made it right. He came back into the living room with a black tray holding four different cups with various designs on them, one had an American flag, one had an AC/DC design, another was covered with cats and the final had some sort of quote on it. The mugs were handed out and Pietro and Clint both took their coffee graciously while Tony grumbled over his cup of tea.

Pietro finally let himself relax and enjoy his day with Clint's friends, realising that he was going to be a part of this family whether he liked it or not. 

Clint finally stopped worrying so much and decided to take this as a normal day of hanging out with his best friend and his family that he had come to adore. He realised just how well Pietro fit in with the group, he seemed to be right where he belonged sitting on this sofa beside Clint and getting along with his family. It fit like a jigsaw piece and Clint had never experienced anything better.


	13. Chapter 13

The rest of the morning went by peaceful, and both Pietro and Clint managed to finally relax completely and enjoy themselves. 

Pietro was still a little too nervous to really talk much, despite the number of questions he wanted to ask about the family to get to know them better. He knew only a little from what Clint had told him but he still wanted to know more. 

Steve was nice as could be; Clint was definitely right when he said that the ex-soldier was a giant labrador. His smile seemed to be just as permanent as Peter's, maybe even brighter and he was basically a giant walking ball of sunshine and happiness. Pietro didn't doubt that the man had his down moments, but he seemed like the optimistic type no matter the situation and Pietro wished he could be that type of man. 

Tony was... well, Tony. Yes, he was nice and somewhat polite, but his first language seemed to be sarcasm and he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Unless it was regarding his son's "absolutely perfect art that should be hung in the biggest museums that there were". However, Pietro adjusted quickly to the tech's personality. Clint had explained Tony to him, and Pietro was quickly realising that he was a good man, just with a somewhat rough exterior to hide just how much he cared about everyone around him. A tactic Pietro was accustomed to. 

Clint was talking to Steven and Tony about something Pietro hadn't bothered involving himself in, happy to just sit back and watch Clint with his friend's. They had all finished their drinks some time ago, but Pietro still fiddled with his mug. 

He didn't notice the tiny footsteps approaching and almost jumped when he felt a pair of small hands set themselves on top of his leg. He looked down to see Peter stood there, a smile on his face that Pietro was sure hadn't left the kid's face since he got here. 

"Do you want to draw with me, Uncle Pietro?" He asked and tilted his head like a curious puppy, a hopeful glint in his adorable doe eyes.

Pietro felt his heart burst at the name, 'Uncle Pietro' was something he didn't think he would ever hear in his life and knew he had no choice but to say yes to the cheerful child. He nodded and even smiled a little. 

"Sure, why not?" He said and watched as Peter giggled again, most likely at his funny accent and scampered over to the coffee table where he was sat before. Pietro glanced over at Clint to see him watching the younger male. Clint gave an encouraging smile and nodded his head in the direction of Peter. Pietro smiled in return and stood from the couch, ignoring the curious eyes following him over to the coffee table where he sat beside Peter. 

Pietro looked over the rather large coffee table at all of the pieces of paper strew about the place, as well as the abundance of crayons, pencils and pens of every colour Pietro could think of. He was sure this kid was probably spoiled in every sense, especially with the way the apartment looked.

He glanced around at the pictures curiously as Peter continued the one he was working on. There were a couple of family portraits, a few pictures of trees or flowers and then a few that seemed to depict Tony and Steve as heroes. Tony seemed to be wearing some sort of mechanical suit, while Steve was very American themed. Pietro picked up a picture of Tony and Steve as heroes with Peter between them and tilted his head in curiosity. 

Peter noticed the older man looking at his drawing and grinned, setting down his pencil as he scooted over to look at the picture. "Daddy and Papa are like real-life superheroes!" He said excitedly and pointed at Tony who now seemed completely uninterested in what the two were doing, "I named him Iron Man because he likes to play with metal things." He explained and then pointed to Steve, "And I named him Captain America because he was a soldier and stuff." He said and then turned to look at Pietro to see his reaction. 

Pietro looked over at the two parents before turning his attention back to the picture in his hands. "That's really cool, Peter. Your Dads sound amazing." He said and carefully set the picture back down as if he was afraid to somehow ruin it. 

Peter nodded enthusiastically and brought his drawing over to continue it, not pressed up against the Sokovian's side. "Uh-huh! They're the best, they saved me and made me happy and I love them." He rambled on a little and began to scribble in his drawing of a dog. Pietro frowned a little, wondering if it was okay to ask what the boy meant by saving him. 

"They saved you?" He repeated quietly, "What do you mean?" He asked, not sure if it was a good idea. Peter didn't seem too upset by the question, though his bright energy seemed to dissipate a little. 

"I was in a scary place and I didn't like it." He began, seeming a lot more interested in his art than his story. "They said that my Mommy and Daddy weren't gonna come back and then I was put in this really icky building with loads of other kids. The people there were scary and I didn't like them but then Daddy and Papa found me and took me away." He continued on, his hand pausing for a moment as he looked up at the older man. He still had his smile on his face and Pietro wasn't sure if the kid was just optimistic or too full of childish innocence to be too upset. He saw so much of both Tony and Steve in this kid, he even looked like the two men. 

Pietro could only stare as he began to realise everything. Peter liked having a big family and welcomed anyone with open arms, not just because of his big heart but because he had already lost one family he didn't want to lose another. 

The Sokovian finally managed to think of something to say and smiled at the child, reaching over to ruffle up his already messy hair. "Well, then I think your Dads are really awesome. You're lucky to have them." He said and glanced over at the couple. Clint and Tony were currently laughing at something while Steve tried to look exasperated but the smile on his lips gave away his true feelings. 

Peter giggled and nodded, seemingly back to his happier self as he pushed his paper away and began to draw something new. Pietro honestly wondered if the kid ever stopped drawing. He smiled and watched the young kid drawing away for a while, thinking over what Peter had said. He couldn't imagine being orphaned at such a young age, it must have been hard for the kid and he had heard the care system in New York wasn't the greatest. He was just grateful that Peter seemed to remain an ordinary child even after what he went through.

After a minute or so, Peter looked over at Pietro. Pietro smiled a little, not sure if he wanted to ask him something or was just simply looking. Peter face scrunched up in what look like confusion or thought for a second before he then pushed over a clean sheet of paper and nudged over some coloured pencils and pens. He gave Pietro and expectant look and it took the older man a few seconds to realise what Peter wanted from him. 

"You want me to draw?" He asked and watched the boy nod and smile widely at him. Pietro glanced down at the paper in apprehension, not sure what to do. He hadn't drawn since he was probably 13, maybe younger. 

He glanced over to the side to see Peter looking at him with those puppy-like eyes and sighed a little. Well, he couldn't just sit there and do nothing with the kid watching him like that. He turned back to the paper for a moment, trying to think of what to draw. He looked around at Peter's drawings for inspiration. It didn't take him long to think of something and soon he had a pencil in his hand and began drawing. It was almost a little weird at first but he soon got used to it and was drawing happy with Peter leaning against him. 

Peter was drawing happily when he spoke up, deciding he wanted to ask Pietro a question. "What's your family like?" He asked innocently, not looking up from his drawing as he changed to another pencil. Pietro stiffened at the question, his hand stilling on the page as he thought about how to answer that question. He didn't really want to lie to the kid, but he also didn't want to tell Peter the truth. 

He sighed and continued with his drawing as he tried to come up with a good reply, "Well... I haven't seen my family in years, but I used to have a sister. She was really nice, she would have loved you." He said, deciding that that was the best answer he could give without lying. 

Peter didn't seem satisfied with that answer, "Why haven't you seen your family? Don't you like them anymore?" He asked and turned to look at the older man. Pietro tried not to wince at that and sighed. 

"Peter..." He started before pausing. He didn't know how he could lie to Peter, and Pietro had never been good at lying in the first place. His sister had always covered for him when he was younger. "Sometimes... families aren't like yours. Mine, well... They didn't like me for certain reasons and so they, uh... Kicked me out. They didn't love me like your parents do." He tried to explain the best he could, but honestly, even he didn't like the sound of his answer. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he stared at the table, fiddling with his pencil as he waited for Peter to respond. He really hoped he didn't just screw up this entire kids life. 

Peter was silent for a while and Pietro was getting nervous that he had seriously upset the kid or psychologically damaged him. 

Suddenly, Pietro felt a pair of arms wrap around his side and looked down to see Peter clinging to him like a baby koala to a branch. 

"Well then they're stupid," He said and only continued to hug Pietro harder, "Family should love each other no matter what like Stitch said!" He said, sounding as serious as a 6-year-old could while talking about a fuzzy blue alien. "But I'm gonna be your family now and I'm gonna love you forever no matter what!" He said enthusiastically as he pulled back only enough to look up at Pietro with the biggest smile he had ever seen. 

Pietro felt his heart swell and wrapped his arms around the kid, hugging him firmly as he felt his eyes burn with tears threatening to spill. "Thanks, malyshka." He said softly and squeezed the boy for a second before letting him go. However, Peter seemed pretty adamant that he wanted to stay with Pietro and practically crawled into his lap. He giggled and wiggled until he was comfortable and leaned back against Pietro. 

"That's a funny word!" He said over giggles, already forgetting about their previous conversation. Pietro really wished that he could be like that again. 

Instead, he smiled and nodded, "That's because it's not even English." He explained and watched as Peter's eyes widened in awe at the idea of someone speaking a whole other language.

And so they continued there drawing while Pietro began to try and teach Peter some Russian at the young boy's request. 

About 20 minutes passed and Clint decided to check on Pietro and Peter. When he turned to look over at the coffee table he was surprised by the sight he saw. Pietro was drawing without a care in the world, Peter in his lap who was also drawing while he tried to pronounce a word that Clint hadn't heard before, his face scrunched up in concentration. As Pietro decided to help him out he realised it must have been Russian by the sound of the word. He smiled and nudged Tony, gesturing over to the two boys. 

Tony and Stever looked over, and both were equally surprised at what they saw. 

Steve turned to look and Clint and smiled, "You didn't tell us that Pietro was good with kids." He said. Clint chuckled and shook his head he watched Peter and Pietro. 

"I didn't think he was. He seemed so nervous around the kid earlier." He replied and shook his head slightly in disbelief. He was glad that Pietro was getting along with Peter, and he was happy to see Pietro actually talking with someone as well. 

Clint continued to watch the two drawings, smiling to himself as he did. He enjoyed watching Pietro there, getting along so well with a kid like that. He had to admit that it was kinda cute.

He decided to let them be and continue his conversation with Tony and Steve, not wanting to make Pietro nervous if he found out they were watching him. 

So the three left the boys alone. Steve made everyone another cup of coffee and continued on with their conversation. 

Some time passed and Pietro had finally finished his drawings. Peter had also finished and set his crayon down, smiling proudly at his piece. 

"Okay, I'm done!" Peter announced enthusiastically and turned to look at the Sokovian behind him. Pietro smiled and ruffled up his hair a little. 

"Same here, malyshka." He said and looked down at his two drawings, having finished his first and decided to do another one while he was at it.

The first was a picture of Peter dressed in some sort of red and blue suit with spider web patterns. He had heard Clint call Peter a spider monkey early, and decided to go with that as a theme. The other was a drawing of Clint and Lucky, Clint dressed in a purple and black superhero suit since Pietro noticed that Clint wore a lot of purples. Lucky was stood beside him with a purple mask and cape. Neither drawing was particularly good, but Pietro was proud of himself nonetheless. 

Peter looked over at Pietro's drawings and grinned at the sight of himself as a superhero, "Woah... those are really cool!" He said cheerily as he picked up the two pictures to look over. 

Pietro smiled as he hugged the boy in his lap slightly, looking over his own pictures. "Well, it was your drawings that inspired me." He explained and looked down at the little boy. "You see... I think that you're a superhero too, and I think that you saved your parents by coming into their lives like a little ball of sunshine." He said and tickled the boys side gently. Peter giggled in response and dropped the pictures back on the table to push at the older man's hands. Pietro chuckled softly and turned back to his pictures. 

Peter then picked up the paper with Clint on, looking at it for a second. "Is this Uncle Clint?" He asked and spun himself around to look at the Sokovian, now resting most of his weight on the man's thigh.

Pietro nodded, feeling his face flush a little. "Yeah... He saved me, just like your parents saved you... He's my saviour..." He explained, his cheeks darkening as he glanced over at Clint. The blond turned to look at him, giving him a smile and a little wave. Pietro only blushed darker and waved back before turning to the young boy in his lap. 

Peter was still staring at the pictures in awe so Pietro decided to look over at the boy's drawing. It appeared to be a connection to another drawing Peter had done, a second family portrait to join on to his first.

This was contained Nat and Sam, two he recognised from the coffee shop, another man with curly brown hair and glasses, another with longer hair that Pietro almost mistook for her a girl, another taller man with short hair and one with long blond hair. He realised then that Peter appeared to have a pretty big family, no doubt that most of the people in that drawing were friends of Steve and Tony that Peter had all but adopted into the family. The final two Pietro recognised straight away. Clint and himself, with Lucky at their feet. He almost felt himself start to cry when he saw that picture. He had been included in a family portrait, and he hadn't even known Peter for a day. But that didn't matter to the seven-year-old. He smiled and looked down at the child in his lap. 

"These are good, Pete... I like them." He said softly and smiled wider when Peter grinned at the compliment as if it was the best thing he had heard in his whole life.

Pietro stayed with Peter, only separating when Steve decided they should have dinner and when they had to go. He got to know Steve and Tony mainly through eavesdropping. He talked with Peter and played with the child harder than he ever had. He didn't remember a time where he had so much fun, not even from when he was once a child. 

By the time they had to go, to say Pietro was tired was an understatement. He felt exhausted from the day, mentally and physically. He even fell asleep on the way home in the car, the thrum of the engine lulling him into a deep slumber. He barely remembered being half-dragged into the apartment and tucked into bed that night; he barely remembered Clint's deep rumbling chuckle vibrating against his skin as he kissed him good night. But he didn't mind. He had fun today, he enjoyed becoming apart of this family and he hoped he never had to leave.


	14. Chapter 14

A couple of weeks had passed since Pietro and Clint had visited the Roger-Stark household and things seemed good. Really good. 

Pietro had treated himself to an A4 sketch pad and a pack or two of pencils, both coloured and not coloured. Though he didn't think of himself as a particularly talented drawer, he realised that it had been a good outlet and decided to start using it as a form of therapy. It calmed him down and relaxed him, especially on those nights where he couldn't seem to sleep for more than five minutes before he woke up again with a feeling of dread and fear like a blackhole twisting his insides. 

He drew whatever he thought up at the time, or even just doodled around the pages to practise a little and relax his mind. It worked wonders and most of the time he managed to sleep a few hours later.

He never showed his drawings to Clint, not because he wanted to hide them but because he felt as if there was nothing worth showing. Clint asked, and sometimes tried to peer at whatever Pietro was drawing but the Sokovian often playfully scolded him and then hid the book away. 

Pietro had grown much more comfortable with the physical side of their relationship at this point. He felt happier in his body, his bones stuck out less and he felt more at ease letting Clint cuddle up against him without the fear of the feeling of his spine scaring the blond away. He initiated touches more often; Clint had teased him, comparing him to a cat who constantly tried to get attention without outright asking for it. Pietro could only agree with his boyfriend as he sprawled across his lap, holding the other's hand to his chest as he silently begged for another kiss.

It was one of those nights where Pietro felt restless in his sleep, images and thoughts flying through his head too fast for his brain to try and settle. 

With a sigh of resignation, the brunette sat up in the dark of their bedroom. He reached over blindly to the bedside table, locating the lamp switch by muscle memory as he flicked it. The lamp was covered with a dark lampshade, so it was dull enough to not wake up Clint but bright enough on Pietro's side so that he could see what he was doing. He opened up the drawer next to him, feeling Lucky lift her head up at the noise of the wood gently scraping together before settling back down again after realising it was nothing interesting. Pietro smiled at the dog and pulled out his drawing pad and a single pencil. He quickly checked the nib, making sure it was to his satisfaction before he began to draw away. He could see the bright red numbers of the clock taunt him from the corner of his burning eyes, barely recognising the time. He saw a 2 and that was enough for him to not want to look any longer. 

He had been attempting to draw Lucky. It wasn't anything spectacular, it was cartoonish really. A simple drawing of her sat innocently, a little halo and a pair of wings attached to her. Pietro almost laughed to himself as he thought of that particular little detail and shook his head to himself. It always amused him how differently he viewed the old dog compared to when he first came here. He almost felt bad for how much he disliked the dog in the beginning. 

He wasn't aware of how much time had passed while he had been drawing. Even as his eyes began to droop, begging him to sleep and let his tired brain rest, he refused in order to finish his silly drawing. He wanted to make sure he was utterly tired, too tired for his thoughts to keep him awake. This was a routine he had gotten himself in to and he knew that if he tried to fall asleep and he couldn't he would end up doing another drawing and the cycle would repeat.

He was approaching finishing with his drawing and he felt almost drained enough to sleep through what little he had left of the night. He was almost ready to close his book up for the night when he felt Clint shuffle beside him in the bed. 

Turning his head Pietro expected to just see the man shuffling in his sleep like he did some nights. Pietro would never admit to the number of times he had stopped drawing during nights like these and just watched Clint sleep, but he enjoyed doing it so he didn't care. 

But this wasn't like normal, Pietro could tell straight away that something was different, something wrong. 

Clint shuffled again, flinching in his sleep as he let out a pathetic whine. The sound sounded so broken and nothing like Pietro had ever heard before. He quickly set aside his drawing, letting it fall clumsily to the floor before he turned his attention back to his boyfriend. He didn't know what to do and he was trying to think fast. 

Clint continued to shuffle and twist under the covers, whimpering and mumbling as he let out broken sobs. His breathing was off, Pietro noticed, it paused and caught in his throat as if he had forgotten how to breathe. He seemed to just keep falling deeper and deeper into this hole that Pietro had fallen into too many times himself. 

In a moment of panic, Pietro began to call out to his boyfriend. "Clint! Clint! Hey, hey come on! Wake up!" His voice cracked as he frantically tried to wake up the distressed man. He bit at his lip, glancing down at Lucky who was fully alert and awake, wondering what was going on with the two men. She whined softly and tried to crawl up the bed, but hesitating as Clint's foot narrowly missed kicking the poor dog as he jerked around. 

Pietro cursed in his native tongue and reached out to grab ahold of the blond's arm, starting to shake him in a desperate attempt to rip him from his nightmare. "Clint! Clint, please. Wake up!" He called again, his grip firm as he shook again and again. 

Clint's eyes shot open as he suddenly sat up, a hand flying out and finding purchase on Pietro's shirt as he took in a sharp gasp which turned into another and another panicked breath. Blue eyes searched around the room hysterically, darting about the place in confusion and panic. Pietro knew that feeling, the confusion of what you thought was real and what actually isn't. 

Clint started to shake as he came back to the real world, choking on his own breath as he slowly turned to look at the Sokovian sat beside him. Pietro kept his hands on Clint, one resting on his chest where he could feel his rapid heartbeat, the other resting on his shoulder, near his pulse point. 

The older man didn't let up the death grip he had on the other's shirt as his head turned to look at Pietro like a deer in the headlights. 

Pietro could only watch sadly, letting out a soft sigh as he pulled his distraught boyfriend to his chest. Clint melted against him, whimpering again but quieter as he took in another harsh breath. He reached up now with another hand, placing it in the same position as his other one, twisting the material of Pietro's shirt between his fingers. 

"Sh... hey, it's okay. It was just a dream. You're okay." He whispered, feeling much more awake now but his words still slurred a little with exhaustion. The Sokovian held Clint tightly, rubbing his back slowly as he continued to try and calm Clint down. He understood this feeling too well, and he hated the idea of knowing that Clint was currently going through it. Clint never hoped up about his past too much, he talked about Tony, talked about his girlfriend in high school and how he met all of his friends. But he never mentioned where he came from, where he grew up. Nothing. Pietro had never wanted to pry, he wanted his boyfriend to open up within his own time. 

Clint shuffled, pulling himself closer to Sokovian. Pietro ended up stretching out his legs so that the other could settle himself between them. The blond didn't waste any time, pressing himself as close as possible as he took deep breaths to calm himself down slightly. His face was pushed against Pietro's chest and they stayed like that, silent in the rather dimly lit room until Clint was ready to talk. 

Pietro hadn't been keeping track of the time, content on just sitting there and helping his boyfriend feel safe and calm again, so he didn't know how long it had been until Clint finally stopped crying. It felt like hours but the logical part of his brain told him it had probably been closer to half an hour. 

Clint hesitantly shuffled away from Pietro, looking down with what Pietro could recognise as shame. He sat up but stayed close to the other as he wiped his cheeks with the back of his sleeve. He sniffled softly, glancing up enough to the see the dark patch he had left on Pietro's shirt. They were both silent for a moment, both unsure what to say. 

It was surprisingly Pietro who spoke up first. "Are you okay?" He decided to ask, feeling as if it might be a stupid question after what had happened but he didn't have anything else to ask, at least nothing he considered useful at this moment. 

Clint only continued to stare at the damp spot, seemingly lost in thought as he gripped the bedsheets as a replacement for Pietro's shirt. The Sokovian frowned a little at the lack of an answer and tried again. "Clint?" He asked, tilting his head slightly when the other didn't respond. Not even a minute gesture to show that he had heard Pietro. 

Pietro was getting worried at the lack of an answer still and this time reached out to grab the blond's shoulder. He didn't expect Clint to jump a mile, suddenly staring up at Pietro like a deer caught in the headlights. Pietro himself jumped at the reaction he got, only a tad and frowned in concern. "Clint, are you okay?" He asked again, his hand pressed firmly into his boyfriend's shoulder as he stared at him with a dull blue gaze of concern. "I'm worried." He added on, but Clint only continued to stare, eyes narrowed as if he was trying to figure out a complex puzzle. He blinked once, twice, three times as he focused intently on the Sokovian's pale lips. After a few seconds, he apparently gave up. He held his hand up to Pietro, a single finger extended upwards in a silent gesture to tell Pietro to wait. He gave a nod in return and waited, watching as his boyfriend turned away and reached over to the bedside table. He turned a drawer being pulled open, then Clint rummaged around in search of something for a short moment before he sat back up, leaving the drawer open and abandoned.

Pietro watched, confused as Clint shoved two small clear devices into his ears, adjusting them both as if it had been something he had been doing for years. The Sokovian was slow to catch on to what they were, his brain for some reason having trouble connecting the idea of Clint and being and deaf together. 

Clint sighed a little and finally looked at Pietro, looking sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. His cheeks were red and blotchy from the drying tears and his eyes were still a fresh and raw red. Pietro had never seen Clint so vulnerable and it was slightly unnerving. He had this unreasonable thought in his head that Clint was this indestructible man though could never show signs of weakness. He was strong, resilient, perfect in every way in Pietro's eyes. But he was also human. He wasn't perfect and Pietro was slightly taken aback at the idea. 

Pietro said the words before he could fully comprehend them. "You're deaf?" He asked, cringing instantly as his own forwardness.

Clint didn't seem to mind all too much, merely smiling as if it had been something he was used to. He probably was if he had been living with it most of his life. The blond gave a nod, hesitating as if he wasn't sure he couldn't trust his own voice before he spoke again.

"Uh, yeah... Mostly, anyway. About 80%." His hand stilled on the back of his neck as he studied Pietro, trying to read his mind by reading his expressions. He didn't tell a lot of people, he never felt much of a need. A lot of people found out accidentally, which probably wasn't a good way to ever tell somebody something like this, but Clint never wanted to just outwardly tell someone he was deaf. If they ever found out it was because they were in his life long enough to discover it and that was how he liked it. 

He had never told any of his partners before. After all, he had only ever really had one serious girlfriend, Laura, but she didn't stick around long enough. They had never moved in together, Clint supposed it had something to do with that. 

Pietro could only stare, unsure how to handle the situation without making things awkward or possibly making himself seem stupid. He sat, his mouth opening only for it to close again when no words came out. Clint almost seemed amused, despite himself. He had the hint of a smirk pulling at his lips as he watched the other struggle to conjure up the right words to say. Clearly, the Sokovian didn't want to upset Clint, especially not after having a nightmare like that. 

Eventually, Pietro managed to piece together a sentence that he deemed adequate enough to speak. "You never said anything.." His words drifted away as the sentence ended, his mind deciding that maybe the sentence wasn't so good after all.

Clint's lips turned downward, his hands playing with the bedsheets as he turned his head to focus on those movements instead. "It's not exactly something I tell people." He said with a shrug, not sure how in-depth he wanted to go with this conversation. He realised that he knew almost everything about Pietro, about his tragedies, his life story that brought him to that cafe where they met. And Pietro knew nothing about him; he knew none of his life story, his troubles, what he went through. He knew about Tony, and... that was about it. He realised just how one-sided this part of their relationship was, but it had been years since he had opened up to anyone, let them know everything about him. He hadn't spoken about any of it since he had met Tony. He took in a deep breath, letting the air fill his lungs and drag down his dry throat before releasing it in a rush. He pushed himself up and moved off of the bed. "How about I go get some coffee? I feel like we're going to need it." He said and didn't wait to hear the other's reply before he left through the dark doorway. 

Pietro sat and stared for a few long seconds before tearing his gaze away from the doorway. He collected up his art supplies from the floor and put them away properly inside of a drawer. He pushed in the abandoned drawer on Clint's side and turned on the other lamp, letting the light fill up the room as he adjusted himself on the bed. He looked at the clock, but the numbers meant nothing. Clint wanted to talk and Pietro would listen, no matter how late or early it was. 

Clint returned minutes later with two steaming mugs of coffee. Pietro didn't approve of having caffeine at this hour but didn't voice his complaints as he knew Clint needed this. He took the drink with a mumbled thanks, glancing over at Lucky who lifted her head in lethargic curiosity before then setting it back on to the bed, her sleep apparently more important than whatever her owners were doing. 

Clint lowered himself on to the bed, tucking one leg under himself while the other stretched out, his toes brushing against Lucky's side but she didn't seem to notice. He pressed himself against the headboard, sitting upright as he seemed much more awake now. They both were. He hugged his coffee to his chest as he built up the courage to say what he needed to say. His eyes were fixed to the dark liquid in his mug as it rippled slightly with the natural movements of the human body.

The two sat in silence for a little while, Pietro giving Clint the silence he needed to think while Clint let his mind sink deep into memories he had long since thought to be buried. They nursed their coffee quietly, each taking gentle sips to give them something to do. 

Neither of them was sure how much time had passed before Clint finally began to speak again. "I wasn't born with it." He started, apparently knowing the types of questions Pietro would have and was attempting to answer them before the other had said them. He took another sip of coffee, looking off into the dark corners of the room. Pietro stayed silent, giving the other space and time. Clint waited a few seconds before continuing. "I... It happened when I was a kid," He turned to look at his coffee, considering whether or not to take another sip. His mouth felt dry. "My dad, he... Wasn't a nice man." He said and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "He was an alcoholic, abusive." He stated. He tried to dissociate himself from the words, from the memories flashing through his mind's eye but he couldn't. When he spoke about it, it became real, it was given a foundation and made solid and he hated it. But Pietro deserved to know. "Christ I don't even remember how old I was," He muttered and ran a hand down his face, pulling at his bottom eyelid before releasing it. His gaze tilted up to the ceiling, taking in another deep breath only to let it out into a heaving sigh. "One day, he.. he hit me. Hard, and... I just remember falling to the floor. There was this.. this pain in my ears, I remember hitting a wall or maybe some sort of desk of drawers? I heard this ringing, and," He stopped, collecting himself with a long sip from his coffee mug. "The shouting was suddenly so far away like maybe I was deep underwater or something." He turned to look at Pietro but the man's face was almost blank. He was taking in the information, listening intently, focusing. He had turned on to his side at some point, his legs tucked against him as his coffee warmed his hands, barely touched. 

Clint forced himself to look away, feeling his already sore eyes irritate with new tears. He pushed them back, sipping at his coffee which was nearing the halfway point. "My brother, Barney," He continued, "He came over to me, tried to check on me but I just... I couldn't hear him? And it freaked me out. My mother managed to get away from my father when she realised something was wrong and she took me to the hospital. Told them I got into a fight at school rather than throw her own husband under the bus." He shook his head, huffing to himself as he began to drift away with his memories. "They did some tests and scans, hours later they told me that the hit to my head had damaged something with the cochlea," He ripped himself from his memories and looked at Pietro. His eyes were wide, lips parted but Clint didn't miss the confusion written between his brows. "It's the bit that receives the vibrations inside your ear." He added on, releasing that Pietro would get a little lost if he didn't explain. He waited for Pietro's reaction and it took the younger man a while to realise that Clint wasn't going to talk until he responded. 

Pietro considered his words carefully, "I'm... sorry, Clint. I- That sounds awful." He wanted to hit himself for his words, he realised that Clint probably didn't want sympathy but it was the only thing he could think of saying.

Clint simply smiled and shrugged, "Well, he's dead now and what's done his done." He said and let his head fall back against the wall with a thud. Pietro pressed his lips together, at a loss of words not for the first time tonight. Clint decided to continue, feeling the need to get this off of his chest. 

"My family couldn't afford the hearing aids at the time, so I had to just go a while without being able to hear anything. I mean, they were $1,000 per device and our insurance was pretty shit, they didn't even want to look into covering the costs so I don't blame my family for not getting them. Me and my brother learned sign language, but my father just used it to my weakness and my mother was too depressed to do much." He said, his voice sounded flat, disconnected somehow and Pietro winced at the tone. He didn't like it, but he wanted to know more about Clint and he wasn't about to stop the man if he wanted to spill his soul out to him. "A few months later, my parents got into a car crash, my dad drove into a tree. Drink driving." He breathed in and downed the rest of his coffee before setting the empty mug down on the bedside table, not caring about the ring it would leave later. "They both died at the scene. Me and my brother were thrown into the system, there was nothing else they could have done. He ended up running away, I wanted to go with him but I was too scared. I didn't fancy the idea of living out on the streets without being able to hear or defend myself." He said, quickly catching what he had said and turned to look at Pietro with apologetic blue eyes. Pietro dismissed him with an understanding smile and shook his head a little. Clint nodded in returned and continued. "Anyway, eventually I was fostered into this nice little family. They paid for the hearing aids for me, even though they knew sign language so I could talk to them without the aids. When I turned 18 I had to leave and that was when I moved in with Tony. I haven't really spoken to them since I left though." As Clint finished he let out a heavy sigh, his body visibly relaxing and sagging into the pillows. A terrible weight had been lifted from his shoulders and his head lolled to look at the Sokovian next to him. "I still sometimes have nightmares about it all. But I've gotten better." His voice was soft now as he watched his boyfriend, waiting now to see what he had to say. 

Pietro sat for a moment, thinking and collecting the information. He then turned, setting his cup down on the nearest coaster before he shuffled across the bed. Lucky stirred at the movement and this time her head stayed up, watching as Pietro wrapped his thin arms around Clint. They both suck down into the pillows, Clint's head tucked against the other's shoulder and neck. He didn't mind the firmness that came with the other being so skinny, sighing again as he wasted no time to return the gesture, wrapping his arms around Pietro's back tightly, not ever wanting to let go. 

The brunette pressed a kiss to the older man's head, his nose brushing against the short blond strands. "I'm so, so sorry that happened to you, Clint." He started, his eyes falling shut as he further pressed his face into the other's hair. "You're a good man, you didn't deserve any of that." His voice dropped to a murmur now. "But I'm glad you told me." He finished, kissing Clint's head again as he felt the other nestling against him, his own eyes closed as he focused on the fall and rise of Pietro's chest and the steady beat of his pulse pressed against his ear.

"Yeah," Clint muttered, "Me too." The two yawned simultaneously and held each other, refusing to pull away even as a certain golden labrador nuzzled her way between them.


	15. Chapter 15

Pietro was awake well before Clint was. He had taken it upon himself to clear away the abandoned cups leftover from last night's chat. 

He stood at the sink in one of Clint's hoodies and some sweatpants, scrubbing at the dried liquid at the bottom of the cups as he thought about the night before. Clint had told him a lot about his background, he had opened up about his hearing aids, his parents, his family. It had been overwhelming at first, but then it dawned on him about how much trust it had taken for Clint to tell him about all of that. It meant a lot to Pietro, to know that their trust went both ways. 

He pushed the mug under the running water from the tap, swilling out the soap and dried up coffee. He grimaced at the stubborn bits that still refused to come out and pushed the sponge back into the cup and scrubbed at the brown coffee bits. 

One thing that kept sticking in his mind was how Clint hadn't been able to understand him without the hearing aids. He had kept it hidden for a while and had somehow gotten around it up until now. 

What if something were to happen and Clint broke his hearing aids? Or lost them? Or something like last night happened again? He didn't know sign language, it was kinda hard to when he was living on the streets for as long as he had been, and he never had a reason nor the chance to when he was still at home.

He swilled the cup out again, examining it and nodding when he saw that it was now finally clean and set it on the drying rack. He then worked on the second cup, hoping this one would be a little less stubborn. 

He realised it would take some time, but he was sure he could find some books to help him learn sign language. Just basic stuff, enough to be able to communicate if things went wrong or something happened to Clint's hearing aids. He decided he would go into town later as it was his day off and look through some of the book stores around to see if he could find any books on sign language. 

Pietro had finally managed to clean away both cups when he felt a pair of arms wind around his waist. He hummed, knowing already who the arms belonged to and quickly relaxed into them. Clint pressed his face to the Sokovian's neck and shoulder, pressing his lips to the pale skin as he hummed softly. Pietro chuckled softly and managed to turn around, wrapping his arm's around the blond's neck. In return, he received a sleepy smile and a pair of bleary blue eyes staring up at him. He couldn't help but lean in and kiss him. 

"Sorry, I don't have any coffee ready." 

Clint shrugged his shoulders and pulled himself closer, pressing his face into the younger man's messy hair. 

"S'okay... I don' mind." He nuzzled in even closure, pinning Pietro to the counter as he sighed out softly, yawning into the mess of silver and brunette. Pietro could only roll his eyes fondly, hugging his boyfriend close to him.

They stood there for a few minutes and Pietro was almost sure Clint had fallen asleep against him. He nudged the older man away gently, pushing him in the direction of the couch. 

"Go sit. I'll make us some coffee." He said, shaking his head as he watched the other stumble away, still half asleep by the looks of things. Pietro turned then and began to make two cups of coffee, making sure to add a little extra to Clint's cup to help perk him up. 

When Pietro made his way over to the sofa Clint was already starting to doze off again. He couldn't help but laugh as he sat down next to his boyfriend, placing down Clint's mug down on the coffee table. He used his free hand to nudge Clint, holding back a snicker as the man almost slipped off of the sofa's arm as he was startled awake. 

Clint rubbed at his eyes, blinking them open slowly as he looked around, brows drawn together for a moment before realising what had happened. 

"Sorry." He mumbled, laughing quietly as he reached to pick up his mug, running a hand through his short strands. His hair was a mess, evidence from the restless night he had. 

Pietro only smiled in sympathy as he hugged his drink to his chest. It wasn't necessarily cold in the apartment but Pietro had a habit of taking whatever warmth he could get for however long he could get it, usually subconsciously, like his eating; he often ate quick and without thinking, and he definitely ate more than Clint. His boyfriend never said anything and Pietro knew he was just glad he was finally gaining some weight to a more healthy level. 

Clint grabbed for the remote, his eyes half shut as if he didn't even want to make an effort to wake up. Pietro didn't blame him. 

The TV turned on to some silly cartoon channel and Clint left it at that, settling back into the sofa to drink his coffee in a half-hearted attempt to wake his mind up. He seemed content to just watch the silly cartoons, one Pietro recognised with an optimistic yellow sponge based under the sea, and Pietro almost hated to want to bring up the previous night. But he needed to, he wanted to understand Clint better, understand his story. 

"Clint?" His voice was soft but Pietro heard his accent thicken with his nerves. His hands shook around the cup and he took a sip to momentarily give himself some time to relax. 

Clint hummed, drowsy still and far too focused on the TV to pay attention to Pietro.

Pietro sighed, running a hand through his hair and grimacing at the knots that pulled against his fingers, "I just... I want to know why you never told me." His voice trailed off, uncertain. He didn't want to upset Clint. 

Clint blinked, brows furrowing as he tilted his head over to look at his boyfriend, stifling a yawn as he spoke. "About what?"

Pietro couldn't meet his eyes and instead focused his gaze on the TV screen. "About your hearing aids; about you being deaf."

"Pietro, I told you last night," He sounded a lot more awake now, more alert. "It's not something I tell people."

"I know." Pietro breathed, "But imagine if I didn't know, and something happened to your hearing aids." He turned his head to meet bright blue eyes that were definitely a lot more focused now, wider. "Or something bad happened? This is important knowledge to know, Clint." His nerves were getting more worked up the more he thought about, thinking about all of the different scenarios that could have happened that could have gone south because Pietro didn't know about Clint's deafness. 

Clint couldn't hide his smile as he reached over and grabbed Pietro's hand, pulling it away from his mug to hold it firmly. "Pietro, it's okay. You don't need to get so worried, I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself if anything were to happen, even with being deaf. I've lived with it for this long anyway."

Pietro pouted, though he would never admit to it out loud, "But still, Clint you should have told me. If your hearing aids broke then-"

"Then Tony would fix them, just like he always does whenever they break. Besides, I'm only 80% deaf, I can live without them for a few hours or so." 

Pietro breathed a sigh but nodded slowly, squeezing Clint's hand gently. "Alright, if you say so." He muttered, giggling as Clint leaned in, kissing his cheek and hair and lips with a laugh that Pietro felt he could listen to for hours. 

"Good. Now put your worrying face away." 

Pietro nodded and smiled, wrapping an arm around Clint and shuffling close. 

"Alright, alright. My worrying face is away, back to my normal Pietro face." He teased, wondering how he ended up with such a dork for a boyfriend. Clint laughed and leaned against Pietro, resting his head against his shoulder which had filled out significantly since he first arrived but it was still a little boney. 

"So, what do you want to do today?" Clint glanced up at his boyfriend curiously. 

Pietro gave a half shrug and sipped his coffee, "I was going to take a quick trip to town today, but other than I have no plans. 

At that, Clint rose a brow, "Town? What for?" 

Pietro considered for a moment, wanting the fact that he was going to learn sign language to be a surprise for Clint. "Some groceries. I have a few recipes I would like to try outside of pasta, microwave meals and pizza." He nudged Clint teasingly, it was no secret Pietro enjoyed cooking and he had always made his opinion about the other's taste in food well known.

Clint only rolled his eyes in response, "We have food here but whatever." He laughed, happy to take that as an answer which relieved Pietro, lying was never his strong suit. "Do you want me to go with you?" He offered, turning his attention back to TV. Pietro bit his lip, realising Clint couldn't come because he would see the books. 

"No, I can go by myself. You can stay here and nap if you want to, you look like you need it." Pietro smiled at Clint's indignant huff and the wide yawn didn't particularly help either. 

"Alright, fine, I see how it is." He started, sitting up as he spoke with mock-offence as if he had somehow just be rejected. "You don't want me to go with you, that's fine."

Pietro shook his head, muttering under his breath in his native tongue as he quickly set his cup down so he could wrap his arms around his boyfriend and pull him back. 

"Oh hush you, big dork." He giggled, pressing a kiss to Clint's head before letting the older man squirm away, trying not to spill his coffee and waste his precious 'life-juice' as he had a tendency to call it. Pietro never questioned it, deciding it was for the better. 

The two of them had breakfast together once they had finished their coffee before Pietro then showered and changed ready to head out. He left with a quick kiss, leaving Clint to his Spongebob marathon, curled up on the couch with Lucky at his feet.

The walk to town was nice. Pietro's anxiety flared up only slightly at wandering the city alone, but he knew his way around well enough from work and the trips he had taken with Clint. Luckily it was rather quiet and Pietro found the scent of Clint stuck to the hoodie he had stolen to be comforting enough. 

He started looking through the book stores that he could find, the town only had a handful. He began his search for books on sign language, finding some in the second store he went to. He bought two different books on sign language that he hoped would help him learn the basics at the very least and after checking he had enough he also treated himself to a colouring book and a book of drawing tips to better further his art skills. 

The woman at the counter was nice. She made polite conversation about the books he was purchasing and Pietro managed to have a small conversation with somebody who wasn't Clint or a work colleague. It was nice.

He thanked the lady and left the book store, turning in the direction to head home before he remembered the lie he had told Clint. He sighed and turned instead in the direction of the grocery store nearby, trying to come up with some recipes and their ingredients. He remembered a few he had seen in the cookbooks he had read through, as well as some nostalgic dishes his family used to make. 

He had to use a shopping basket with how much stuff he knew he would be buying and quickly settled into wandering the store and picking things up as he went along, knowing that if he ended up forgetting something, mainly because he hadn't actually planned on grocery shopping, he could just get something later. 

Overall the shopping trip took him over an hour until he finally managed to get back to the apartment. He opened the door up quietly, trying not to alert Lucky as he didn't want her knocking over all of his bags. He had two in each hand including his books.

He toed off his shoes and made his way toward the living room, a smile forming on his face when he saw Clint and Lucky still in the living. 

Clint had dozed off, at least he had the smarts to pull a blanket over himself first, while Lucky stayed at his feet, only moving to lift her head lazily to see who had entered the apartment before going back to sleep. 

The TV was still playing in the background, just barely quieter than Clint's snoring. Pietro decided to leave him be until dinner time and he could get a head start on his sign language lessons.

And so for the next few hours Pietro sat at the dining table, reading through one of his sign language books and practising the gestures shown in the book and trying to remember what each one meant and how to do it. 

He was getting through the alphabet well but he knew he knew he would forget most of it later. He would have to make reminders to practise for himself to practise every day. He started on greetings and basic phrases which were at the front of the book and before he knew it was getting to around 5 in the afternoon and he realised he should probably wake up Clint and get dinner sorted. 

He put the book back in the bag and took them all to his room so Clint wouldn't find them. He then headed back over to the kitchen, pulling down a cookbook from one of the shelves and selecting one that he had the ingredients for. 

With that he began to gather everything he needed, not noticing the way he murmured out the words of the instructions as he went along, double-checking everything to make sure he didn't have anything missing or that he was doing anything wrong. It was some sort of rice and chicken dish with homemade curry and vegetables on the side. It looked appetizing and he figured it would be a nice filling meal for the two, maybe even with leftovers which was always good, at least to Pietro. 

It didn't take him very long to set everything and to start cooking the meal. The chicken and the rice would take a little while to cook, so he made sure they were on first, setting up the curry ready to cook a little later on with the vegetables to be last as they would only take a few minutes to cook. 

It was only when the food was getting close to serving, the vegetables having just been put in the pan, that Pietro decided to go wake up Clint. He was surprised he hadn't already woken up from the smell. 

Pietro wandered over to the sofa after making sure none of the food was in danger of overcooking. He knelt in front of the sofa, Lucky had long since moved to her dog bed after getting bored with the tight space left by Clint's legs. He reached out, setting a hand on Clint's shoulder to shake him gently.

"Clint... Solnishko, time to wake up..." He whispered, shaking Clint's shoulder a little firmer when he failed to stir. "Slontse, you have been sleeping all day. You need to wake up."

Clint shuffled and in response gave a rather petulant whine, pressing his face into the blankets. 

"I don' wanna." 

Pietro rolled his eyes fondly, leaning down to press a kiss to the mess of blond hair, "If you don't wake up now then you will miss food." He said, pulling back to catch Clint's reaction to the mention of food. 

Clint's eyes opened, peering just above the blanket to stare up at the Sokovian. He sniffed and for a moment Pietro worried he was falling sick until he realised that his boyfriend was sniffing the air like a dog in search of what was being cooked. He grumbled as he sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes as he pulled his blanket around his shoulders. 

"Alright, but only because whatever you're cooking smells nice."

Pietro nodding, knowing full well that the only reason Clint had even sat up was because of the promise of food. Pietro moved back to the kitchen, making sure nothing was burnt. He realised his rice and chicken had both been a little overdone but everything else seemed fine and so he counted it as a success.

He served them both a healthy amount on two large plates and set them down on the small table with two glasses of juice to go with them. Clint shuffled over from the living room, his blanket still firmly around his shoulders as he sat down at the table. He eyed the plate for a moment as Pietro sat opposite, feeling his stomach begin to twist as he waited for what Clint thought of the meal. 

Clint nodded, waking up a little more as he looked up and across the table with a small smile, "Hey this looks good. Smells great too." He said and picked up his utensils, the blanket slipping but not falling as he began to cut up some of the chicken.

Pietro's face split into a smile as he nodded and began to do the same, "I hope it tastes as good as you say it smells." Even still, Pietro knew it would most likely taste better than the take-out food and cheap meals they had previously been eating; it would taste like heaven compared to what he used to eat on the streets too.

The two ate in relative silence. Clint enjoyed what had been made, agreeing that it was definitely better than what they had been eating previously. Pietro happily offered to cook meals from now on to save money. He enjoyed it anyway, so it wasn't as if cooking was a chore for him. It took a bit of convincing as Clint didn't want to make Pietro do all of the work but he eventually agreed. 

Once they were finished they began the familiar task of washing dishes, the two worked in tandem with one another, as they always did. The task was complete in no time and Clint leaned in to press a kiss to Pietro's cheek, hugging him to his side. Pietro laughed, leaning back against his boyfriend and enjoying the warmth against his back. 

"How are you feeling?" Pietro turned, wrapping his arms around Clint's waist to hug him loosely, having to look up to look into Clint's eyes this close together. 

Clint hummed for a moment, "Better, still a little tired." He mumbled. Pietro resisted the urge to roll his eyes, of course, Clint would still be tired after napping almost all day. 

"Alright, well come on. Today is a, how do you put it? A chill day?"

Clint laughed lazily, pressing another kiss to Pietro's hair this time. "That sounds like a good idea." 

So the two ended up spending the rest of the day watching movies and when the evening came, Clint begged Pietro to let him order pizza. Pietro had begrudgingly agreed. 

The next day Clint had to go to work, leaving Pietro behind for most of the day. He figured it was a good opportunity to read his sign language books without any chance of Clint finding them. 

He spent the majority of the day reading through the books, taking breaks to let the information settling into his mind and then testing himself when he came back to the book. He cleaned a little and fed Lucky before going back to his book to study a new section on questions and answers. 

A few hours before Clint was due home, Pietro realised the information was no longer registering and instead turned to his drawing books.

He spent the rest of the week doing this, even taking the books to work to study the language while he cleaned the dishes and whenever he had spare time during his shift. He was sure Clint still had no idea about what he was doing and Pietro was making good progress. He had already learnt another language before, so it was easier now to learn a third.

A few more weeks went by and things were still going good. Pietro's drawing skills were improving, as Clint had mentioned various time whenever he saw his boyfriend with his sketchpad, while his sign language skills were also progressing. Natasha had caught him learning in work and he had begun practising and learning from her which had helped him a lot. Nat had promised not to mention anything to Clint, though the amused smirk she had on her face didn't sit well with Pietro that her promise would be fulfilled.

By the end of the month, Pietro had completed half of his book of study and knew enough to hold a polite conversation with someday. Nat had taught him some phrases that weren't in the book, though they weren't exactly the time of phrases he would ever think about using with Clint. He had almost sprayed her with water when he had found out what the gestures meant. 

Pietro was taking a break from drawing practice to clean the apartment while he tried to get his hand to un-cramp from spending hours holding a pencil as well as changing between many different gestures for sign language practice. Nat was there too after she had offered to come over on her day off to help Pietro which he was incredibly grateful for. It wasn't the first time she had visited while Clint was away, though he was almost sure she only enjoyed coming over for free food and not his company.

They spoke in their first language whenever they were together. Pietro forgot how well his native language felt against his tongue after so long of speaking English. It was nice to have someone to speak to in that language. He had always talked to his sister in Russian, especially when they were outside. Something was exciting about knowing that no one around them would be able to understand, their conversation was really their own.

Nat reminded him a lot of his sister, he supposed that's why he enjoyed spending time with her. He hadn't seen his sister in years, but he liked to think that she had grown up to be like Natasha in some ways. 

"I'm really impressed with how far you've come, Pietro," Nat told him around a mug of coffee.

Pietro picked up one of Clint's abandoned hoodies left on the sofa, rolling his eyes when he saw a stain and put it in the washing basket. "Thank you, Nat. I can't wait to show Clint, I only hope he doesn't find it offensive in some way or other."

Nat smirked, the same one she had when she had promised Pietro not to say anything, "I'm sure he will be very grateful you went to all this effort to learn a new language for him."

Pietro nodded, hoping she was right. He began to sort through the laundry ready to take it down to the basement where all of the machines were. Nat watched from her place on the couch, arms resting on the back with her cup in hand as she took sips from the cooling liquid.

"Well, I really appreciate you helping me with this," Pietro said as he created a pile of dark clothes and light clothes, leaving the colours in the basket for now. 

Nat shrugged her shoulders but there was a small smile hidden behind her coffee. "It's no problem. I enjoy having someone to practise with more often. Clint only lets me sign to him when we're talking about customers behind their backs." 

Pietro chuckled at that, it made sense now why he had sometimes seen the two of them moving their hands around in a silent conversation. At the time it had just looked like meaningless gesturing. 

"I don't expect to have any real conversations with him, but it would be nice to know how to communicate with him if something were to happen to his hearing aids."

Nat nodded, pausing as she sipped from her coffee. 

"It's sweet of you to go through all this effort for him." Nat stood up and walked to the kitchen, placing her empty mug in the sink before turning to continue watching Pietro, "I'm glad you two have each other, Clint is my best friend and a real good guy. He deserves to have someone on the same wavelength and you two match up pretty well." Pietro knew Nat wasn't one for emotions or deep conversation, so he stayed quiet and listened. "I hope it works out well with you two, I really do. Clint never seemed bothered about being alone, he had Lucky. But since you came along he's..." She sighed, "He's different, in a good way. So don't mess this up, okay?"

Pietro smiled at the teasing note in her voice toward the end, she knew full well how much Pietro depended on Clint and how much he cared for him; he would never do anything to screw up his relationship with Clint, ever. 

"I won't, I promise." He glanced over his shoulder as Nat nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. 

It was nice to hear how much he meant to Clint, he knew he was cared for but it was different hearing it from somebody else who knew Clint almost as much as they knew themselves.


	16. Chapter 16

It had been almost a week and Pietro still hadn't told Clint about his decision to learn sign language. He wanted to surprise Clint, but he wasn't sure how. He didn't want to just suddenly start answering with his hands, he wanted to do something special, he wanted the time to be right.

It was currently Sunday; Pietro had left this morning for an early shift but had come back around dinner time. Clint had taken the time alone to clean up the apartment a little and to make a phone call.

"Have we been on a proper date yet?"

Pietro blinked, jacket mid-way to the coat rack when Clint dropped the question. After the initial shock, he put his jacket away as he thought for a moment.

"We've had dates." He defended, walking past his boyfriend and into the living room. He ruffled Lucky's ears on the way past before then making a beeline towards the kitchen in search of a snack, having skipped breakfast in his rush to get to the cafe this morning.

"Okay let me rephrase. Sitting in with take-out and watching movies isn't a date. And neither is going shopping together."

Pietro snapped his mouth shut, pulling out a bag of pretzel snack bites from the cupboard. "But a date is just a couple spending time together, is it not?"

Clint heaved a sigh, sinking his hand into the bag to steal some snack pieces himself. Pietro only stared as he chewed, confused.

"I mean like a real date, ya know? Going out somewhere together, actually doing something fun." Clint tried to explain. Pietro pouted.

"Do you not enjoy watching movies at home with me?"

Clint rolled his eyes; he knew Pietro was only saying that to mess with him. He leaned over, kissing his cheek gently. He pulled the Sokovian close, wrapping his arms around his waist. Pietro smiled and carefully fed some pretzels to Clint before then tossing some down to Lucky.

"I just think it's time that we both went out together, on a real date. You deserve to have the real dating experience and that means me taking you out to a nice restaurant or someplace fun that isn't the cafe or a store." 

Pietro, still unconvinced, only nodded. "I suppose if it's something you'd like to do then I'm happy to do it with you."

Clint reached up to cup Pietro's cheeks and the Sokovian set down the bag slowly, sensing the sudden seriousness that had taken over Clint's face. 

"But is it something you want to do?" 

Pietro thought for a second, biting at his lip as he turned his head away. He was still very much getting used to the idea of going outside, of leaving the safety of his apartment. His new home. 

He had left a few times to go shopping with Clint, and outside of that it was trips to work and that was it. His boyfriend didn't leave to much either, probably because he knew Pietro didn't like being left alone, and he realised that Clint was probably bored of not going out to have fun. Pietro couldn't help but wonder how often he and Tony used to go out together. 

"I... I think it'll be nice. To get out of the house, I mean. Just for fun."

Clint smiled, settled by the response. The last thing he ever wanted to do was drag Pietro around and make him uncomfortable. He didn't deserve that. 

"Okay then. Well, in that case, go get changed into something that isn't soaked with soapy dishwater and meet me back in the living room." And with that Clint was off, heading into his bedroom with Lucky close at his heels. Pietro huffed, amused, and went off to his room to find something to wear on his very first date.

Clint set his phone down on his nightstand as he listened to the ringing. Lucky hopped up on the bed and flopped herself down without a care in the world. She clearly wasn't very bothered with her owner's predicament. 

Tony was on the screen in minutes, dishevelled looking but not in his usual 'I haven't slept in days and time is no longer a concept to me' way. Clint was about to ask questions when he saw Steve's equally dishevelled head pop up behind him.

"You guys weren't...?"

"No, no. We were just watching movies, Peter is at a friend's house for a sleepover." Steve explained before he left the view of the camera as he moved away. Tony hauled himself up so that he was sitting and positioned the camera to get both of them in view. They were both shirtless, but the covers were tucked up high and it was nothing Clint hadn't seen before.

"Alright, good, great." Clint heaved a sigh and rubbed his face, feeling his stomach twist. He had been on dates before, but he had never been this nervous because of them. And he wasn't meeting someone new, he had known Pietro for months now, he shouldn't be this nervous. 

Tony was definitely curious, "What's up with you? You're sweating rivers." 

Clint scowled, running a hand through his hair and he stood and paced. He popped in and out of the frame of the camera but neither one said anything. 

"I asked Pietro on a date. But I have no idea where to even begin, I don't know where to take him or what to wear. I didn't think this far ahead and I have like ten minutes to get everything ready. I haven't booked anywhere for us; what if nowhere can fit us in? What if this all falls apart? He could hate me for this and I don't-" 

"Okay, buddy. Chill, calm down." Tony's voice came through the speakers, followed by Steve's quiet snickering. "Just take a seat, you're gonna give me a headache." Steve only laughed more, burying his face into his boyfriend's shoulder to hide the sound. 

Clint sat down on the bed, but his leg jigged up and down with nervous energy. He took a deep breath, glancing over at the clock to realise he was quickly running out of time for this to be sorted. 

"You really have no ideas?" Steve asked, coughing away the rest of his chuckles as he watched Clint twitch around. Shaking his head, Clint sighed again and wrung his hand together to give him something to do. 

"Honestly? No... I mean, I figured I would just take him to dinner, like a normal date. But I have no idea where I would take him. I want it to be... different from what we usually do, you know? Different from just eating and watching TV. I want to take him somewhere... fun." He sagged, deflating as he stared down at his feet as Lucky stretched out behind him. He reached behind him to fuss her, thinking over what he could do. 

Tony and Steve exchanged looks before they both turned back to Clint, "Alright, we can come up with something. We'll make sure this date is one he'll never forget." Steve smiled calmly, but Tony's devious smirk only unsettled him more. 

Pietro was in the living room within 5 minutes. He had made himself as presentable as possible, but without knowing where they were going or what they were going to be doing he had no idea what he should wear. He settled for a nice shirt, some jeans and his shoes along with his favourite jacket. He brushed and styled his hair the best he could, fiddling with it constantly as he stared at the roots that had grown through. He would probably get it re-done again soon.

When Clint's bedroom down opened, Pietro spun around so fast he thought he had given himself whiplash. 

Clint stood in the doorway, dressed in his infamous purple shirt, his leather jacket, his best jeans and his boots. His hair was styled for the first time since Pietro had met him and as he walked closer Pietro had a smell of some posh smelling cologne he was sure was a gift from Tony. The blond smiled, still wrecked with nerves but more settled now that he knew what he was going to do on this date. Tony didn't give the best pep-talks but he tried and somehow he always managed to settle Clint's nerves. He realised he probably should have called Nat, she would have given some great advice. 

"So all ready to go?" 

Pietro nodded and wrapped his arm around Clint's when it was offered to him. They made their way out of the door after bidding goodbye to Lucky and Clint led the way to his car. 

The ride was nice. Pietro hadn't really been in Clint's car since that first ride. They made him anxious after being used to so many years of walking around, but Clint had insisted that it was too far for them to walk. He didn't tell Pietro where they were going, but the brunette trusted him enough to just get in the car and not ask questions. Clint made sure he was okay the entire ride there and Pietro managed to let himself relax once he found the button to the radio.

They drove for close to an hour. Pietro had no idea where they were going. He had assumed it would be some fancy restaurant. That's where people usually went for dates. But the further they drove, the more suspicious he became. Restaurants were usually in the cities but as Pietro looked around all he saw were trees and fields. They were far from the city now, someplace he had never seen before and he was starting to get a little on edge. 

Clint finally rolled the car up into a parking space outside of a fairly large, short building. There wasn't much to see on the outside besides the grey bricks and peeled off paint. There was a sign above the door that was faded with muted colours that read 'Queen's Archery and Sports Centre'. 

Pietro followed Clint out of the car as they headed inside. The place didn't look like anything special and now he was even more confused about this whole date idea. 

The inside looked better. It was still worn down but it was clean and it was looked after. There was a wide hallway with an empty reception desk sat to the side. Further down were doors, all-metal, most of them open. Voices were coming from one of the closest rooms and soon enough people were filtering through the door. 

It was a small group. A couple, a woman and a man with their daughter, probably about 12, and another man. He was wearing a promotional shirt so Pietro assumed he was an employee. A young man, the same age as Clint, with shaved short blond hair and some stubble. The man walked the family over to the desk, giving Clint a gesture that told him he would be over in a minute before he turned back to the couple and their child. 

Pietro still had no idea where they were or what they were doing here. As he looked around, he noticed some stray pieces of sports equipment, some protective gear, gloves, some arrows and even a ball or two. 

The family left and the man approached the two of them. He held his hand out to Clint and Pietro watched as they greeted each other with enthusiasm. 

"Oliver, hey man. It's good to see you." Clint hugged the man, Oliver, before he pulled back to pat at his shoulder. 

"Clint, it's been a while. I assumed you had given up." Oliver seemed like a kind guy, friendly. He smiled at Clint like an old friend as they separated. Clint chuckled. 

"Yeah, life has been... interesting lately." 

Oliver looked past Clint, glancing over at Pietro with a knowing smile. "So I see," He walked over to the younger man and held his hand out. Pietro blinked as he reached over and shook hands, "Oliver Queen, nice to meet you. I'm a friend of Clint's, he used to come here a lot to train with me." 

"Train?" Pietro looked to Clint for an answer, still just as confused, maybe even more so.

"Uh, yeah. Oliver here is an archery master. He's been helping me learn how to do it. It's silly, I know, but it's actually pretty fun." With a crooked smile on his face, Clint shuffled his weight from foot to foot. Oliver laughed and patted his friend's back. 

"He's quite the pro, actually. You should see him in action." 

Clint cleared his throat, "Actually, that's why we came here. Pietro hasn't really, uh... gotten out much. So I figured I'd bring him here." He then turned to Pietro, hand twitching to reach out and touch him, "I know this probably isn't what you had in mind but-"

"No, no." Pietro shook his head and walked closer, taking Clint's hand in his own as he squeezed it gently, "This is amazing. I've never done archery before." 

Pietro was actually rather thankful that they hadn't gone out to a fancy restaurant. This was a part of Clint, something he enjoyed doing and he was more than happy to be here, to learn more about his boyfriend. It was also a new experience and even if that scared him a little, he was excited to see the world in ways he hadn't before. 

Oliver had them sign some papers, legal nonsense he told them. Clint paid for their session and Oliver gave him a key card to access the equipment and one of the rooms. He was happy to let the young couple go ahead alone, Clint was well trained and Oliver didn't really want to intrude. 

The room they went into was long. There were targets set up towards the far wall, all of them attached to tracks that allowed them to move around or to be set at a particular distance. There were racks lined up across an adjacent wall with bows and quivers full of arrows. Next to them was the control panel for the targets. Other than that, the room was rather empty save for a few posters. 

Clint set up the room and equipment with expertise that must have taken years of practising and use to gain. He handled the bows with easy, testing the weight and checking the strings were all in place. He ended up putting three of them back before he finally settled on the right bow. He grabbed a quiver and flitted through the arrows as he walked back over. He set down the equipment and smiled at Pietro. 

"Alright, this is everything we need. The targets are a good starting distance for you already so we can just get right into it." Clint slipped his jacket off, hanging it over the back of a nearby chair. Pietro followed suit as Clint ushered him over to where he was stood. There were markings on the floor showing where to stand in front of the targets; Clint was stood on the one in the middle, bow resting against his leg as he strapped on some gloves. He tossed a pair to Pietro, "Put those on. It'll stop you from getting blisters." He explained. Pietro swiftly pulled the gloves on with Clint's help and then they were ready to start. 

Clint started off with a demonstration, talking Pietro through the way to position yourself and stand, moving on to how to hold the bow and finally how to shoot an arrow. It seemed simple enough to Pietro, Clint fired the arrow and hit the bullseye with ease. Archery was probably the easiest sport Pietro had ever seen in action. 

That was, until, Pietro was the one holding the bow. 

The bow was awkward to hold at first, his hand felt weird and misplaced as Clint continued to coax his fingers around the metal limbs until it felt more comfortable. Clint then moved down, grasping Pietro's calves to pull his legs slightly further apart, twisting his left foot a tad before then moving back up. 

Pietro, for the most part, was a blubbering red mess. All he could do was stutter and go along with Clint's pulls and tugs. 

"Here, you just need to- Look, lift your arm slightly. Bend your elbow just a little, okay now straighten your back."

Pietro yelped as Clint pressed into the small of his spine, forcing him upright. Clint then stepped back and smiled, "Okay, I'm going to give you an arrow. Now all you have to do is notch it in place, pull back, aim and fire." 

Clint handed over the arrow and helped put the arrow in place before letting Pietro take over. The Sokovian fiddled with the grip on the bowstring, tightening his fingers before he began to pull back slowly. 

"Alright, just take it easy, Pietro. Breathe, aim, then just let go of the string and let the arrow fly."

Pietro sucked in a deep breath. He bit his lip in concentration, eyes focused on the target. He moved the bow around, tilting it up then down then to the left and up again. It took a while before Pietro was finally happy with his aim. He was sure it would be a bullseye. It had to be. 

The string was pulled back. Pietro kept his arm steady, eyes focused. Then, he let go. 

The arrow flew through the air, past the target before it clattered to the ground several feet behind him. Pietro's face fell into a pout. The arrow was more than a foot out from the target. 

Clint hid his snickering as he wandered over to help Pietro with the next arrow. 

His chest pressed into the younger man's back as he rested his arms over Pietro's, wrapping his fingers around his to guide him through the aiming process.

Pietro knew Clint was talking but all he could hear was his heartbeat thundering in his ears. They had never been this close before, not like this anyways. He nodded to show he was listening as Clint traced his calloused fingers down his pale arms. He pulled Pietro's arm back, guiding the arrow and bowstring back as he aimed. 

"There... Now try." His voice was a low murmur in the Sokovian's ear, hot breath against the shell of his ear and Pietro could see as his arms quivered with more than just the strain of holding a tense string. 

Pietro nodded again, his fingers loosened as he went to fire. Before he let go, he felt Clint shift behind him. A pair of lips pressed against the skin of his neck and Pietro jumped at the sudden jolt that went down his spine. 

The bow and arrow clattered to the floor as he cursed in his native tongue, pushing Clint away as his face burned with a mixture of feelings. Clint doubled over laughing at the look his boyfriend was giving him, an adorable mix between a pout and a glare. 

Pietro picked up the bow and smacked Clint with the metal limbs. The blond yelped and fell to the floor as he only continued to laugh, losing his balance for no real reason. His hand flew out, grabbing onto Pietro to pull him down with him. They both went crashing into the floor; Pietro landed on top of Clint as their heads bumped together with a resounding clonk. 

Clint only laughed more as Pietro began to hit him with one hand, the other pressed to his head as he rubbed away the pain. 

"Ow! Ow, okay, okay. Relax, I'm sorry!" He giggled, grabbing Pietro's wrist to stop the attacks. He then leaned up, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips to calm him down. Pietro froze but quickly turned to a puddle of goop once Clint began to kiss him properly. 

Clint deepened the kiss slowly, not wanting to push Pietro too far. He wanted to ease him into it, tentative and careful. Pietro was, at first, apprehensive. He didn't want to do anything wrong but at the same time, he didn't want to stop.

They lay like that for a few seconds, neither really kept track of time, before they finally parted. Pietro laughed quietly to himself, breathless and in awe. 

"That was..."

"Amazing?" Clint grinned, brushing back some of Pietro's fallen hair, "Yeah, yeah it was." He laughed, pressing another quick peck to his lips before he began to get up off of the floor, pulling his dazed boyfriend along with him.

Pietro smiled bashfully, dashing in to kiss Clint quickly on the cheek before moving away to pick up the abandoned bow and arrow. "Alright, no more playing around. I am here to learn." He tried to keep a straight face, he really did but a smile cracked through nonetheless. Clint rolled his eyes, running a hand over his face before wandering over to help his boyfriend again. 

"Okay, okay. Playtime is over." Clint's grinned told Pietro that it was anything but. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can not remember the last time I had so much fun." Pietro opened the door to the car and climbed out carefully, pulling his jacket around his shoulders as he walked around to the pavement. Clint was already stood, locking the car before opening his arm out to the younger man. Pietro wrapped an arm around his waist as Clint's arm snaked around his shoulders to begin guiding him home. The car was parked a little way down the street from the apartment block but neither of them minded the short walk. "Thank you, Clint. This means a lot to me." 

Clint waved his hand dismissively, "Ah, it was nothing. You deserve to have some fun and I really enjoyed spending the time with you." 

Pietro smiled as he relaxed. He would always be thankful for the way his life had turned around. If he hadn't gone into that cafe all those months ago, none of this would have ever happened. He would still be roaming around the streets, or most likely, dead. "I will never be able to thank you enough for all that you have done." He said, quiet as he let his head fall against the blond's shoulder. 

Clint didn't have the words for that. He wished he had found the kid sooner, found some way to help him as soon as he was kicked out of his home. Pietro didn't deserve it, any of it. But he knew that what was done was done. Clint was going to make sure this kid was safe from no way, away from anything that could hurt him. 

They were almost home when Pietro paused. Clint stopped after feeling his arm tug when he tried to continue walking. He turned and frowned, confused when he saw Pietro staring off into space. 

"Pietro? What's wrong?" He asked, turning to face him fully to see what was going on. 

Pietro hushed him, staring off into an alleyway to the side of him. He waited a beat before his eyes widened. He turned to Clint. "Do you hear that?" He was silent for another beat, turning back to face the alley as he began to inch forward. 

Clint, perplexed, began to follow behind slowly. Something was going on. He listened, closely; He even went as far as to turn the volume on his hearing aids up, but all he heard was the usual street noise. 

Then, a mewl. 

He stopped at the entrance of the alley as Pietro continued forward, lowering to the floor as he looked under a dumpster. He gasped, sitting back up quickly as he turned to Clint. Uncertain as to how to proceed, he slowly inched around the dumpster, keeping his voice soft as he spoke. 

"Hello, little one. Hi." He whispered, extending his hand out slowly to the shaken creature. 

Curled against the wall and squished under the metal container was a cat. Small, maybe even a kitten. The cat was a skinny, scrawny little thing, short white fur knotted and dirty. As Pietro peered closer he realised that her front left leg was missing. There was no blood and consider how old she looked, it was safe to assume that she was born without it. 

"You poor thing. Here, come here. I won't hurt here. Я просто хочу помочь тебе (*I just want to help you)."

The kitten cried, dragging herself out from under the dumpster slowly. She hesitated for a moment, a sad look in her eyes as she quivered. She was weak, barely staying awake. Pietro didn't want to think about how long she had gone without food, not to mention he knew it had rained a couple of days ago. It was a miracle that she hadn't fallen to hypothermia yet. 

"It will be alright. I will help you." Pietro whispered desperately, urging the kitten out and into his arms. 

The cat crawled out further, mewling brokenly as she scrambled against the loose stone of the alleyway floor. Pietro reached out and scooped her up slowly, hushing her as she began to cry. Pietro felt his heart shatter as she shivered in his palms. She was barely bigger than his hand, almost fitting into his palm perfectly.

Clint didn't even have to think twice, "Come on, let's get her back home." He ushered Pietro out of the alley, wrapping an arm around his waist to head off home. Pietro followed silently, eyes trained on the kitten he was holding against his chest.

Clint knew then that they weren't going to be losing her, not in a million years. 

When they finally arrived home, Pietro began rushing around the apartment, cradling the kitten as he began to pull out towels, blankets, anything he could think of to help the creature out. 

Clint watched on from the doorway, hanging up his jacket slowly before then fussing Lucky to keep her away from Pietro and the cat. He knew the dog wouldn't hurt her, but she was big and easily excitable. 

Pietro gathered together a bundle of blankets and towels and proceeded to wrap the kitten up, setting her down on the kitchen counter. Clint whistled to Lucky, telling her to go to her bed for now. She whined in complaint but did as she was told regardless. He then walked over to Pietro, coaxing him away from the cat gently. 

"Hey, hey, easy. You'll smother her. Let me help." Clint took away some of the towels, adjusting the blankets to keep the kitten secure for now. Pietro took a shaky breath as he stood back, he didn't want to get in the way and it seemed like Clint knew what he was doing.

Clint started by filling the sink up with some warm water. He washed off the cat, making sure she was okay as he cleaned away the grime and mud from her fur. Then he wrapped her in a towel, then a blanket to keep her warm while she dried off. He turned and carefully handed her back to Pietro. "She's clean now... Just hold her to your body, it'll keep her warm and it'll make her feel safe." He explained, walking them over to the sofa. 

Pietro sniffled a little as he sat down, hugging the kitten to his chest as he curled up on the sofa cushion slowly. Clint watched on. He wasn't too surprised Pietro was attached to this cat, that he was going to throw himself into ensuring the kitten would survive. 

He made a quick call to Tony, knowing there wasn't much to do for the time being. The small cat needed food badly. 

"Hey," Clint lowered himself down on to the sofa next to Pietro carefully, pulling him close as he sighed softly. "It'll be okay. We'll take care of her. She's a tough cookie to make it this far, she's not going to go anywhere now."

Pietro nodded, but his eyes were red, irritated with tears as he snuggled and pushed himself into Clint, "I know, I- I just... She reminds me so much of- of when I was on the streets, you know?"

Clint nodded, understanding perfectly, "I went through the exact same thing with Lucky, I understand." He pressed a reassuring kiss to Pietro's forehead. "She'll be okay. We're going to help her, give her a new home, a family to love her."

Just like you did for me, Pietro thought. He stroked the kitten's little head, knowing she would need a name, but right now, all he wanted to do was make sure she would survive. 

Tony arrived within minutes, a shopping bag filled with kitten food whatever else he had bought at the pet store. Clint eyed the bag wearily as his friend approached them. 

"Alright, I came as soon as I could. Where is the little guy?" 

Pietro was now asleep, curled on the sofa and tucked safely under a blanket. Clint hushed him, gesturing with his head toward the kitchen, not wanting Pietro to wake up. 

Tony blinked before realised quickly why he was being asked to move. "Oh, right, right. Of course, sorry." He made his way into the kitchenette, sneaking around the sofa with exaggerated gestures. Clint only rolled his eyes. 

"Just set the stuff down. Help me prepare some food for her." 

Tony nodded as he set the bag down, quickly pulling out the formula to get started. While that was being sorted, Clint took a peek into what was left in the shopping bag. Inside was filled with different things, some kitten treats, toys, even a full plush bed. 

"Tony, you didn't have to get all of this stuff. I can give you the money back, I promise, just-"

"No," Tony turned and handed over the small bottle filled with the food formula. Clint took it and carefully urged the kitten to begin feeding. "It's alright. I could tell that this fluffy jelly bean is important to the kid, I figured that grabbing you a little starter kit couldn't hurt." 

Clint smiled, leaning back against the counter as he nodded, "Well, thanks. I really appreciate it and I know Pietro does too." He looked up then, staring at his sleeping boyfriend fondly. 

Tony grinned, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the counter, almost mirroring Clint. "You really like him, don't you?" 

Clint sighed, knowing he was in deep as he nodded, "Yeah... He's the best thing to happen to me for a while. I mean, I was fine with my life beforehand but now? Now, I could never imagine my life without him." He said softly, quickly turning his attention to the cat to see the bottle empty. He wiped away the excess milk from her furry chin before wrapping her up tighter, hugging her close as he watched her yawn silently as she settled down to sleep. 

Tony smiled knowingly, he could see what was happening between the two boys. It wasn't his place to say anything, so he wouldn't, but he still knew. 

"Anyways, Pietro's birthday. It's less than a week away but I'm really close to getting everything sorted for you." 

Clint nodded quickly, glancing to make sure Pietro was still asleep. He didn't want the surprise to be ruined. 

"Okay, great. Again, thank you so much for doing this. I really appreciate Steve figuring this out for me." He had big plans for Pietro's birthday, something truly special, something he would never forget. 

"Ah, don't sweat it. Steve is probably more enthusiastic about this than you are. He's real happy to put his access to governmental databases to some good use." 

"Oh, of course, because using them for police work and protecting the city isn't enough." 

Tony laughed, quickly muffling the noise with his hand when he saw the kitten blink her eyes open for barely a second before shutting them again, "You know what I mean." 

Clint could only shake his head but he wasn't going to complain much. "Just as long as he's not going to get into trouble."

"He won't. It's not illegal, just not... recommended." 

"Uh-huh, yeah sure. Whatever you say." A glance at the time told him it was getting late. He knew Tony would probably stick around for a while so he ended up making them both some coffee. He set the kitten up in her bed, placing her on the dining table for now until he had a chance to properly introduce her to Lucky tomorrow. 

Tony left around midnight. Clint was left then to clean up the final bits and pieces, making the rounds of the apartment for any loose dishes or rubbish before checking up on the pets. 

Then he walked over to Pietro, realising that he would have to move him from the sofa. If he slept out here all night then he would have a bad neck in the morning.

Clint ended up picking him up and carrying him to the bedroom. Pietro was still rather underweight for someone his size and age so it wasn't too hard to carry him into the bedroom. He didn't even stir as Clint stripped him of his shoes and jeans, leaving him in his boxers and his shorts. Clint followed suit, stripping to his underwear. After, he removed his hearing aids and placed them in their usual spot. He slid into the bed next to Pietro, pulling the young man close and holding him tight as he pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

"G'night, Pietro."


	17. Chapter 17

The next few days were slow for Pietro. Tony came by often with a few more supplies, checking up on the kitten and her progress. He also had some hushed conversations with Clint which Pietro was never allowed to hear; that was fine, the kitten needed him and he was too focused to really consider what the conversations were about. 

Daisy. That's what he decided to call her. When he had first held her again after he woke up, she had smelt fresh; fresh like a daisy, Clint had told him. Pietro was lost with the weird American phrase but decided that the name suited her with her bright white fur. 

She took a quick liking to Pietro and was slowly warming up to Clint. She didn't mind Tony, not that he was actively making an effort to get her to like him, and Lucky wasn't allowed near her for the time being. Daisy only cried and tried to escape whenever Lucky wanted to get to knew her, so they decided to take it slow. Incredibly slow.

It was day four now. Daisy was improving more and more every day so Pietro was happy, overall. 

It was early, Clint had left about an hour ago with Tony on some sort of secret mission. He had left some pancakes for Pietro to eat with a note explaining that he would be back at some point. Pietro ate breakfast and decided to spend his morning playing with Daisy, though he made sure not to leave out Lucky out. It was difficult but he managed fine. Lucky was a smart dog, he understood. 

It was later in the morning when Pietro heard a knock on the door. He frowned, lowering the cat toy to the floor where Daisy continued to swat at it with her tiny paws. Pietro climbed up from the floor and headed over to the door cautiously, brows furrowed. Clint wouldn't knock, Tony wouldn't either and he couldn't think of anyone else who would come by and visit. 

When he opened the door slowly he was surprised to see a familiar face. 

"Nat! What are you doing here?" He tilted his head curiously but side-stepped to let her inside. 

Natasha smiled, "What? Am I not allowed to visit you on your birthday?"

Pietro paused as the door swung shut behind him. Nat slipped off her boots, a clear indication that she wasn't just planning to stop by for a quick chat. It was then that Pietro noticed the gift bag in her hand, along with a pink envelope with his name on it.

"My... what?"

Nat turned to look at him, incredulous as she set the bag down on the coffee table. Lucky made his way over to greet her, avoiding the small kitten. He was always a lot calmer when he saw the cat around. Nat fussed his ears and scratched under his chin. 

"You really forgot your own birthday? It's all Clint has talked about in work." 

Pietro only felt more confused, "Clint hasn't mentioned anything to me about it. I... honestly didn't realise the date." He walked into the kitchen to make some coffee for both of them. 

Nat only gave an amused huff before she kneeled, greeting Daisy quietly. 

Pietro walked back into the living room with two steaming mugs and set them down beside the gift bag. Natasha settled herself on the sofa, curling her legs up beside her. 

"Well, it's still your birthday." She reached over and picked up the shiny bag and dropped it into the Sokovian's lap. "Go on, open it. It's not much but I didn't really know what else to get you." 

Pietro looked into the bag, seeing a small box inside wrapped in some plain blue and silver paper. He lifted it out, noticing a second smaller box inside. He took that one out too and set them both in his lap. 

"Okay, open this one first, then the bigger one and then the card." Nat seemed rather excited about the gifts, either she had gotten him something really thoughtful or she had gotten him something he was really, really going to hate.

He pulled apart the wrapping paper carefully, taking his time as he didn't want to ruin the effort Natasha had but into the wrapping, (which in reality wasn't a lot; she was a surprisingly messy wrapper).

Pietro was puzzled as he looked down at the box in his hands. 

"Headphones?" He glanced up, eyebrow raised. Natasha only nodded and gestured to the second box in his lap. He frowned, he didn't understand why he would need headphones. He didn't have a phone to use them with. Clint let him borrow his when he wasn't using it, but Pietro really didn't have much interest in phones. 

He unwrapped the second box, this time eagerly pulling at the paper to see what was inside. As the paper fell away, his eyes widened and his hands shook. He turned the box, studying the writing as he coughed out a choked sob, tears burning his eyes. 

"You bought me an MP3 player?!"

Natasha grinned and nodded, fast. "I figured that you could it for when you're doing your drawing stuff, or even in work. It has loads of space on it, and it's really easy to use-"

Pietro wanted to launch himself at her but quickly noticed the coffee within her hands. He settled for a careful hug, clutching her tight as the presents sat between them. 

"Thank you... Thank you, thank you. This is incredible. I couldn't ask for a greater gift."

Nat chuckled and rubbed his back in slow circles, just like Clint, and squeezed him gently. 

"You deserve it. It's your birthday after all and I knew you would get some good use out of it." 

Pietro laughed and nodded, pulling back to clutch the items to his chest. "I love them. I will use them every day." 

Natasha ruffled up his hair, knowing full well that Pietro would use them just to get the use out of them, just to show Natasha how much this gift meant to him. 

"Okay, now open up the card." 

Pietro quickly picked up the card, having forgotten that he even had it. When he pulled open the top and read over the card, he laughed. Inside was a mixture of different handwriting. The card was from everyone, Sam, Tony, Nat, Steve, even Clint's handwriting was in there. 

"Song suggestions?"

Nat began pointing at the different songs, "Everyone chipped in with this, suggesting some of their favourite songs or songs you might like. Peter put down Baby Shark for you," She chuckled, "We figured it would give you a starting point for you to start looking into music." 

Pietro had no idea what Baby Shark was, or any of these songs for that matter, but he appreciated the gesture. "This is amazing, really. Thank you, Natasha. This all means so much to me."

Natasha only grinned, sly as she sipped at her coffee. Pietro was oblivious as he looked through the instructions of how to set up his new MP3 player, wanting to get started as soon as possible. He would have to ask Clint to help him when he got back. 

Nat pulled out her phone while Pietro was distracted, sending a text to Clint. 

How long are you gonna be?

not long. we're just driving back now. the cargo is coming.

Just hurry up already. The kid has waited long enough for this.

five mins tops

Nat took the instructions from Pietro, keeping her phone close by. 

"Here, let me help you set this up." 

Pietro went along with it, eager to see his present in action. 

They ended up digging out Clint's old laptop. It had seen better days but Nat assured that it would do fine for what they needed to do with it. 

By the time they had finished setting up the device and learning the controls and different settings, the door opened. Pietro shot up, moving around to see Steve and Tony walk in, an excited Peter in Steve's arms. Peter was hugging a silver gift bag, bouncing as he clutched at it with his tiny arms. 

"Hi, Pietro! Happy Birthday!" He squeaked, wriggling his way out of Steve's hold. Steve let him down carefully and the kid wasted no time in running over to Pietro. His little arms wrapped around his legs in a tight hug, squeezing as tight as he could. 

Pietro smiled and ruffled his hair, hugging him back, though the angle was a tad awkward with how small Peter was. 

Steve wandered over behind Tony, leaving the door open behind them. Tony had a wicked smile on a face, similar to Nat's which only made Pietro more uneasy. Steve seemed excited as Pietro picked up Peter, resting the kid on his hip. 

"Thanks, Petey." Pietro was grinning through his confusion, everyone was acting strange, too strange and it was freaking him out. 

He set Peter down after giving him a good long hug and looked around. His lips turned down. 

"Where is Clint?"

The door was still open. Clint stepped into the middle of the doorway, a small smile on his face. He was sheepish, unsure as he shuffled his weight. Pietro tilted his head to the side, his hand resting on Peter's head as the young child clung to his leg. 

"Clint? What's going on..? Is everything okay?"

Clint was silent as he stepped inside slowly, stepping towards the wall leaving the doorway clear. Pietro watched, baffled as his nerves crept in. Why was everyone so weird? Why was the door still open? Why did Clint seem nervous? Everything was freaking him out, setting alarm bells off. Something was going up, but he didn't know what and it was scary and- 

A girl walked through the door. She was a few inches shorter than Pietro, dark hair and blue eyes shining as she stared at him. She looked around the same age, dressed in a black dress and red jacket with knee-high boots over her tights. Her hair was long, down over her shoulders and curled, similar to Pietro's own in colour had he not dyed it. 

She gasped, holding a hand to her mouth as she tentatively walked forward. Her legs were visibly shaking, her hand trembling as she made to reach out towards him but faltered, uncertain. Her eyes were wet and soon tears were rolling down her pale cheeks.

Pietro froze, stiff as a board as he stared at the girl. He shook his head in disbelief, feeling his own eyes itch with warm tears as his jaw fell open. He coughed, choking on a sob that almost sounded like a laugh. His head was a whir, it couldn't be. 

"Pietro...?" The girl's voice was quiet, unsure as she stopped a few inches in front of him. Her voice was thick with emotions, making her accent thicker. 

Pietro didn't notice as Peter was pulled away by his parents, the little boy confused about what was going on. 

"Wanda," He breathed, reaching his hand towards her. She sobbed, gasping a deep breath before letting it out in a laugh. She took a long step forward, wrapping her arms around her brother as she pulled him close. She buried her face in his shoulder, crying into the fabric of his shirt as her hands gripped at the material desperately. 

Pietro held her tight. He hugged her close, resting his head against her head as he buried his face into her hair, crying quietly as he shook. 

5 years. It had been 5 years since he had last seen his sister. He didn't think he would ever see her again. His family shunned him. When he had last checked their home they had moved, leaving him behind in the streets. He had given up hope of seeing her again only a month after he was abandoned. Surely she had hated him, just like their parents.

But she was here and she was hugging him. She missed him and she wanted him. Pietro hugged her tighter, refusing to let go. 

Clint finally closed the door to the apartment, wandering into the kitchen to let the twins have their moment. Steve nudged Tony in the same direction, taking Peter with them as Natasha followed behind. 

Clint began making coffee, hot chocolate for the little one and decaf for Tony. 

"Thanks, Steve. I couldn't've sorted this all out without you."

Steve smiled as he took a seat at the small dining table. "It's not a problem, really. He seems so happy and I'm glad I could help reunite them." He watched then as Peter toddled off over to Lucky and Daisy. Clint nodded, watching cautiously over the child before glancing over at Pietro and Wanda. They were speaking in hushed voices, excited and overwhelmed. Clint tried not to listen too much, they were speaking Russian, a clear sign they were trying to keep their words hidden from the other. 

"He deserves this. He's a really good guy, ya know? And once I knew that I could find his sister and that she was willing to see him I had to get her over here." 

Steve nodded knowingly. He was unsure about using the police database to track Wanda down at the beginning, but once he understood why and what this would be to Pietro, he was more than happy to bend the rules.

The twins continued to talk to each other, now sat on the sofa. It took a while for them to calm down enough to have a proper conversation.

They talked about everything. Pietro told her about Clint and his new family, how much he had missed her and what he had been up to. He tried to avoid mentioning the streets, but she kept asking and he wasn't going to lie. 

She told him about her new job as a teaching assistant, working towards a job as a tutor in music and art. She told him about her life, she was living with a friend of hers, but she would be leaving soon and Wanda was trying to find a cheaper home. She hadn't seen their parents in years, she had left at the age of 18, unable to forgive either of them for leaving her brother behind, her twin. Pietro learned that she was also gay and how she wished she had stuck with him all those years but how scared she was. She cried some more but Pietro reassured her the best he could. He didn't care about the past, he was just glad he had his sister back. Clint had found her and brought her to him; as if the man hadn't already done enough for him. Pietro could never hope to find a way to thank him properly. 

Clint wandered over after giving them a good hour to talk with one another. He placed down a small cake, clearly homemade and burnt around the edges. There were candles in the blue icing, not yet lit but ready. 

"I didn't think you would be into the whole singing thing so I thought I could just light them up and you could make your wish."

Pietro turned to the blond, a smile on his face as he watched everyone sit down around the small coffee table. 

He glanced around, Steve was on the single-seat with Tony on the floor resting between his legs. Natasha sat opposite, Peter in her lap as he played with Lucky and Daisy, giggling away. Clint sat beside him, their knees touching while Wanda sat on his other side, her hand over his as she smiled. 

"Yeah... Yeah, that sounds good."

Clint grinned and nodded, striking a match aflame and lighting up the three little candles. Pietro stared at the candles, watching the flames dance. He didn't know what to wish for, he had everything he could ever want. He knew that this was all just superstition anyways, that blowing out birthday candles didn't really grant you wishes like some strange genie. 

"Come on, Pietro. What are you waiting for? You're gonna let the candles melt into the cake." Steve flicked Tony in the back of the head, causing the brunette to yelp and smack at his boyfriend's hand. 

Pietro chuckled and rolled his eyes. He leaned over to blow out the candles but paused. He turned to his sister, gesturing to the cake. 

"Do you want to blow them out with me?" 

Wanda blinked, stunned. Then she laughed, nodding her head as she shuffled closer. Together, the blew out the candles, giggling as they did. 

"This is the best birthday I could ask for," Wanda said, leaning into her brother as Clint began to cut the cake. 

Pietro nodded, "Me too."

They all shared cake. Wanda took a quick liking to Natasha and Steve. She found Tony too sarcastic but they were civil with each other. Pietro assured her that Tony was a nice guy, that his heart was in the right place he just had a strange way of showing. 

Pietro opened the rest of his gifts after cake. Peter had passed out at some point, even though it wasn't that late. Apparently, he had a busy day the day before, playing with a friend from his class, Wade. Steve had moved him into Pietro's bedroom and Lucky had followed. Pietro had followed behind, placing Daisy out of the way in her own little bed he had set up for her. 

When they returned, Natasha was bringing out some games for them to play as well as a nice bottle of Russian alcohol to celebrate Pietro(and Wanda) turning 21. Everyone agreed not to get drunk, especially since Peter was with them.

Monopoly was quickly ruled out by Steve after explaining that Tony could get rather aggressive during the game. UNO was decided upon which lasted a few hours before they changed to Charades and Who Am I?

The bottle was soon emptied among the group of six. Music was played quietly and the games continued until late in the night. 

When Pietro woke up the next morning, he was surrounded by his family. And he couldn't have been happier.


	18. Chapter 18

Pietro had spent as much time as possible reconnecting with his sister. Between their jobs, however, as well as their personal lives, finding the time could be difficult. They had managed coffee once or twice, but for the most part, they spent their time together at one of their apartments. 

Today was one of those days. It was a Saturday and Wanda was swamped with assignments that needed to be marked by Monday. They had arranged the previous weekend to see each other after their plans were cancelled last Saturday. She ended up packing the papers away into her bag, along with her pens and the marking booklet to get the work done while at Pietro's. It was the easiest solution that avoided her needing to cancel the plans again and it meant that she got to kill two birds with one stone, as the American's said. 

When Wanda arrived at the front door of the apartment, she hugged her bag to her side, hoping her brother wouldn't mind her bringing over her work. It would distract her from Pietro and she felt bad for not being able to come up with a better solution. 

Pietro opened the door and his sister smiled at him crookedly. 

"I hope you don't mind, I uh... Well, the work needs to be on Monday and there's just so much of it. I know this was meant to just be a day for you and me but, well..." She sighed and tucked her hair back, glancing to the floor. "I hope you're not mad but I brought my papers over to mark while we hang out." She looked back up to see Pietro with an askew grin. 

"It's alright. As long as you're also not mad at me for uh, multitasking today."

Tilting her head, Wanda didn't understand what he was talking about until a little blur flew past Pietro and hit her legs. She blinked and looked down to see Peter hugging her legs. 

"Hi, Aunty Wanda!" He squealed, looking up from where his head was buried in the fabric of her skirt. He was bouncing, his little arms clutched tightly to her thighs and she stared down at the boy. 

Wanda had only spoken to Peter briefly before he fell asleep on Pietro's birthday and was promptly sent to bed. Pietro had told her about Peter through, her brother adored the kid like his own son. It was sweet, really, and Wanda was glad to get to know Peter. 

"I'm babysitting," Pietro explained as he urged his sister to come inside. He shut the door as Lucky came over to investigate, not wanting her to escape. Peter bounded back into the living room as the two adults followed behind. "Steve is at work today and Tony came over to see Clint. I told them it was okay if they wanted to go somewhere fun while I looked after Peter. I forgot you were meant to be coming over today which sounds horrible, I know, but-"

Wanda laughed, setting her bag down by the side of the sofa as she settled herself down onto the cushion. "It's alright, Pietro. As long as we get to hang out I'm happy." 

Pietro smiled a little and nodded, "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Coffee would be great, thank you." She watched as her brother walked away to the kitchen to prepare their drinks. When she turned back, Peter was sat in front of her on the opposite side of the coffee table. He was staring at her intently, crayon in hand. His tongue stuck out to the side in concentration. She watched as he looked back at his paper and began to draw again, pausing every so often to look at Wanda. She shook her head slightly as she began to dig out her papers from her bag, ready to organise them so she could begin marking them. She cleared a space on the coffee table, making sure it was okay with Peter as she had to move his crayons and papers out of the way. The boy was unbothered, too focused on his drawing to pay much mind. 

Pietro set the mug down on the nearest coaster, being careful as to not ruin the meticulous organization of his sister's papers. 

"So work is going good then?" Pietro gave a glance at the pile of papers that had been placed on the table. Wanda laughed as she opened up her marking booklet. 

"Work is wonderful. We're just a little busy with some of the final year groups. It's early in the school year, I know. But my boss likes to get them all started early on assessments and exams. It comes with the territory of a practical subject."

"I bet the students must love you," Pietro teased, picking up his mug as he sat down on the floor, placing himself at the edge of the table, to the side of Wanda and therefore between herself and Peter.

Wanda chuckled, "Yeah, it's a bit of a stressful period. But once all the course work is sorted it'll be much easier."

Pietro picked up some of his own pencils and his sketchbook, "You really love this job, don't you?" He opened his sketchbook but his focus stayed with his sister. The way she spoke about students, the project she worked on with them and their different ways of learning and creating; it was clear she was passionate about her job, her students too. He was glad to see that she had come so far since he had last seen her. She had a life now, good friends, a home. She was independent, an adult now. Pietro sometimes forgot that they weren't young teens anymore. 

"Yeah," Wanda slid her boots from her feet and tucked her legs under herself to get comfortable, "I absolutely love my job. I mean it wasn't my dream job, I took it so I could move out. But now I just... love it." Her grin was wide and her eyes bright as she spoke about her job. Pietro had realised that whenever she spoke about her job she always lit up. He hoped that one day he could find a job he was passionate about, just like his sister. 

Wanda began to mark the papers and Pietro decided to focus on his sketchbook instead. The TV played in the background with some silly cartoon Peter had put on but quickly lost interest in when his crayons came out. Some would say that there was no point in Wanda coming over if they were just going to sit in silence, but in truth, Pietro didn't mind at all and neither did Wanda. The twins were happy to just be together, enjoy each other's presence and company. It was enough just to see the other happy, healthy and alive. 

Pietro had just begun his shading when Peter shuffled from his position on the floor. He stood, clutching the paper to his chest as he then wandered over to Wanda, walking around Pietro in the process. The paper was offered the Wanda with a smile as he pointed to his scribbly drawing of a woman in red next to a group of people. Pietro recognised it as the family portrait Peter made when he had first met him. 

Wanda blinked as her vision was blocked by a colourful drawing. She turned to Peter, a little confused as to what he was pointing at. Peter explained without any prompting. 

"Look, Auntie Wanda, I added you into the picture next to Auntie Nat." 

Pietro laughed, "That's his family portrait. He is a strong believer in Ohana." He explained, shuffling up just behind Peter to look at the paper. 

Peter nodded enthusiastically, "Ohana is very important! See, these are my daddies, then there's Uncle Bruce and Auntie Nat, then Uncle Clint and Uncle Pietro, then there's Lucky and I added Daisy in. Then there's Uncle Bucky and Uncle Sam, they're silly but they're family. And now I've added you in!"

Wanda was taken back, "You have a pretty big family there, uh?" 

Peter nodded again, placing the picture down before settling himself down on the small space left on the corner of the table. "Uh-huh. Papa always has a hard time when the whole family comes over for dinner because our table isn't big enough." 

Wanda chuckled, she tried to imagine all of these people around one table with her brother stuck in the middle. It was an amusing picture. 

"Aw, I bet. Must be nice though when it works though." She imagined this big family all sat around a table, a meal between them all as they smiled and joked about like families were supposed to do. 

"Yeah, I wish we had more family meals." Peter lost interest in the conversation then. He picked up some papers and dragged his crayons over to his little space to begin drawing an entirely new picture. 

Pietro looked at the expression on his sister's face and smiled. It was the same expression he had, the look of realising you were apart of something big, that people cared about you and that people wanted you around. Wanda turned to her brother and smiled softly. She reached over and ruffled Peter's hair gently, listening to his happy little giggle. The boy leaned back and resting his weight against her leg. Wanda left her hand in his hair, enjoying the weight of Peter against her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clint watched as his best friend eyed the lane, eyes calculating as he tried to work out the best path to follow to knock down all of the pins. 

Bowling. That was Tony's idea of somewhere fun. 

In truth, it was more of a spur of the moment decision. They had been walking through town after having a late breakfast at a nearby cafe when Tony spotted the bowling centre. 

"Would you look at that! I haven't been bowling in ages. What do ya say, Clint?"

Clint didn't have much chance to respond before he was being dragged into the centre without much consideration on Tony's part. 

"Would you just throw the damned ball?"

Tony shot a glare over his shoulder before he turned back to the lane. Clint sighed and picked up his soda, taking a sip as he watched his friend. Tony focused before drawing his arm back slowly. He bowled and Clint leaned over the back of his chair to watch the bowl as it rolled down. It collided and the pins clattered, all three of them. Tony huffed and walked back over to Clint, pushing his shoulder before flopping down in the chair opposite. 

"That's for distracting me. I would've had a perfect strike if it wasn't for you!"

Clint snickered, almost choking on the fizzy drink as he set his cup down, standing up to get ready to bowl. 

"Yeah yeah, perfect strike, sure." He patted his friend's knee before making his way over to collect a bowling ball. He walked up to the edge of the lane, setting out a path for himself. 

"So, how're things with Pietro?" Tony poked at their shared nachos, watching as Clint began to bring the ball back. 

"It's going good, I think. He seems happier, he's a lot more open, out of his shell, ya know?" The ball flew and the pins fell, a perfect strike. 

Tony huffed and shook his head, shoving a nacho in his mouth after making sure there was a good amount of cheese and sauce on it. 

"What about you?"

Clint paused as he sat back down, staring up at his best friend. Tony stared at Clint, brow raised but mouth straight. He was serious, or as serious as Tony got. Clint thought for a second as he eyed the nacho tray. 

"Honestly?" He looked up and Tony encouraged him with a nod, "I can't imagine life without him, Tones. He... He's changed everything, you know? And I used to think I was okay on my own. But, Jesus, I don't think I could handle losing him. He's everything to me now, I've never felt this connected to a person before and it's kinda freaky."

Tony laughed, a gentle chuckle as he turned in his chair. Their game was paused and Clint relaxed in his chair as he realised it was time to have a conversation with Tony about Pietro.

"This isn't funny, Tony! I'm freaking out here!"

Tony laughed harder, coughing on a snort as he nodded, "I know, man, I know. It's just... pft," He snorted, "You sound just like me when I realised I loved Steve, exactly like me, dude."

Clint paused. Love, huh? 

"You really think we're that serious?"

Tony nodded, flicking away some pepper as he picked up another nacho. "Totally." He pulled at a second nacho that was attached to the first one, watching the cheese pull thin before just eating the two together. "Clint, you guys live together, okay? That sounds pretty serious to me." Clint opened his mouth to respond but Tony held up his hand. He chewed down on his food as he spoke, "You can't tell me that it's just because of when he was homeless. He has a job, he could get his own place or even move in with his sister. But he hasn't. You guys have adopted a cat together, you're basically a married man, my friend. And that means that you're in love."

Clint was left to think as Tony got up to take his turn bowling. 

Did he love Pietro? Were things really that serious between them? 

He didn't need to think twice about the answer. 

Yes. 

He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Pietro, he couldn't imagine it any other way.

He loved Pietro and he was going to tell him.


	19. Chapter 19

Christmas was right around the corner, they were currently sitting in the third week of December. The apartment was already decorated with tacky tinsel and bright baubles; the tree stood over by the window with blues and purples sprinkled over the branches and warm white lights wrapped around which illuminated the apartment in a comforting glow at night. The majority of the presents had been wrapped, all currently sat in bags ready for Christmas day. They had all decided to celebrate at the Roger-Stark residence as their apartment was the biggest one. 

And so with the holiday so close, Clint had devised a plan. He was going to tell Pietro that he loved him on Christmas day with the perfect present. The timing was brilliant, they had met during the first week of last December, Pietro had moved in during early February. Therefore Christmas would mark over a year since they had met and almost a year since their relationship began to grow. It was the perfect time for Clint to admit that he loved Pietro and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. 

"Pietro, you ready?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Pietro emerged from the bedroom, tugging down on his sweater as he wandered to the coat rack. "You sound like a nagging old man, relax. We have ages until the stores close." He shrugged on his coat and leaned over to plant a kiss on Clint's cheek as the man grumbled. Clint had made an appointment for his special present for Pietro and the last thing he wanted was to be late or even miss it. But of course, Pietro didn't know, and he planned to keep it that way.

"I just want to make sure we don't miss out on all of the good stuff, that's all."

"Uh-huh, sure thing." Pietro chuckled as he zipped up his coat in preparation for heading out into the winter weather. Outside thick snowflakes were falling from the sky; it had been snowing most of the night so there was already a thick blanket covering the ground. The ice was minimal for now but the snow continued to fall from heavy looking clouds, slow but heavy.

The two locked up after saying goodbye to the furballs, making sure there was nothing they could get into to cause any trouble. With that, they set out and headed into the town, hats on and gloves on as they wandered hand in hand, huddled together to stay warm.

The town was nice; the lights were on despite being day-time and they sparkled, reflecting off of the snow lying across the roofs of the stores and the ground. The store windows were filled with signs of red and green, Christmas trees, snowmen and snowflakes. Everywhere was glowing with joy as the speakers played smooth Christmas music and stalls lined the streets selling hot chocolate, egg nog and all sorts of delicious Christmas foodie goods.

"So what's on the list, old-man?"

Clint chose to ignore the newfound nickname and pulled out the piece of paper folded in his pocket.

"Well there's some final little pieces we need to pick up, a toy for Peter and we need to get that book for Bucky. After that, we need to grab that whiskey I ordered for Nat, and some food shopping for that special pudding you wanted to make for after Christmas dinner."

"Oh! I almost forgot- here, I will go and grab the ingredients for my pudding, you're useless with food shopping and if we split up we can grab everything quicker?" Pietro suggested, leaning over to look at the list in his boyfriend's hand. "I can also grab the whiskey, the stores are close together."

Clint opened his mouth to respond; he wanted to stick together, spend time with Pietro, but then, "Yeah, great idea," It was the perfect opportunity to go and grab Pietro's present without raising any suspicion, "We can meet back here in, say, half-hour? Then we can go grab some hot chocolate."

Pietro grinned, took the list and tore it along a folded-line to separate the list into his shopping and Clint's. He handed over the top off and gave Clint a soft peck on the lips, "We have a deal. I'll see you in half an hour," And with that Pietro ran off, excited to see the town, see the different displays while he grabbed the last few bits he needed before he could finally celebrate his first Christmas with his new family.

Clint watched with a fond smile, shaking his head as he watched the Sokovian run off into the hustle and bustle of late Christmas shoppers and exploring families. Once he was out of sight, Clint turned on his heel and wandered off in the opposite direction; he had important business to attend to.

Pietro couldn't stop smiling as he wandered through the stalls. Christmas had always felt like such a distant experience for him; his family never really celebrated the way Pietro saw on TV, and their celebrations often led to arguments or disagreements with the stress of presents, food and decorations. It was never any fun. 

But this year things changed and he planned on appreciating and living every special little moment. The sooner they finished their shopper, the sooner Pietro could have fun experiencing the Christmas market with the man he cared about. 

The pudding ingredients were easy. The employees were delightful and helped him with everything on his list. They even offered some substitutes that would make the pudding taste better. Pietro listened intently and ended up leaving with all of his ingredients as well as a new cookbook. He would never admit how poor his self-restraint is, but it was definitely lacking. He thanked the shop workers, leaving a small tip to the nice woman who picked out the cookbook and headed off to find Nat's whiskey. 

The whiskey was a little trickier. The person who handled the old liquor store was nice, but Pietro knew nothing about fine Russian drink. Food, maybe. Alcohol, not so much. He had forgotten the name of the brand and ended up going with one of the more expensive bottles after being ID'ed twice, 'just to be on the safe side'.

Clint left the store with Bucky's book tucked neatly away in his bag. Peter's new science kit sat underneath while Pietro's special present sat in its own bag, hidden from prying eyes. With a glance at his phone screen, he realised he had plenty of time to spare unless Pietro came back early. Clint made his to the meeting point and glanced around, unable to find a familiar head of silver. A hum rumbles at the back of his throat as he glances around at the food stalls before a smile creeps over his lips. 

When Pietro comes back to the meeting point, flustered from rushing back after his kerfuffle in the liquor store, he stares at Clint sat down on a wiped-down bench. He wanders off, huffing a small breath as he adjusts the bag in his cold hand. His gloves only did so much to defend against the nipping air. 

"Sorry. I ran a little later than I thought I would." He excused, sitting down on the clean patch next to his boyfriend. Clint smiled and shrugged. 

"Hey, no problem. Here." He held out his hand, offering a drinks tray in which sat two paper cups with lids leaking steam like little chimnies. "It's eggnog. I was going to get you a hot chocolate but I figured we had that at home. I realised you probably haven't tried it yet, so uh... Yeah," He chuckled. "It's nice. At the very least it'll warm you up a little." He was rambling but Pietro only giggled and shook his head. 

"Thank you," With a quick peck to Clint's cheek, Pietro took the drink from its cardboard holder and sighed blissfully as the warmth from his cup seeped through the wool of his gloves. "I've always wanted to try eggnog." He lifted the drink to his nose, sniffing gently before blowing through the small hole in the lid and taking a cautious sip. A shiver ran down his spine as the warmth spread through his body. 

Clint smiled and tapped Pietro's cup with his own in a 'cheers' like gesture. "I'm glad you like it." He took a sip of his own, relaxing contentedly as he began to warm-up. "So, I was thinking since we have some hours to spare, we could have a look around the stalls? There's a Christmas market set up outside of town with an ice rink and some gaming stalls. We could check it out if you wanted to?"

Pietro's eyes lit up, "I'd love to go ice skating. I haven't been since I was a kid."

Clint nodded with a smile, he knew what that meant. If the last time he went skating was when he was a kid then it was tied to a bunch of bad memories Pietro was probably trying to forget. Clint wanted to turn those memories into good ones, ones where Pietro could look back on them with a soft fondness. 

"Then it's settled, ice skating it is." The two settled against each other as they drank quietly, discussing their holiday plans, how they hoped everyone would like their gifts. Pietro was definitely excited for his first Christmas with his new family, and Clint was excited to celebrate Christmas with Pietro by his side. 

They finished their drinks and then began to make their way to the market, each carrying an equal amount of bags. 

It didn't take them long to get to the market and once they did Clint lead them straight to the ice rink. The ice rink itself was set up in the centre of the market under a large tent. The stall was set up to the front which a relatively short queue. The rink was large enough to fit everyone on comfortably. There were children with their families, couples, friends. Some were doing tricks while others clung to the side, wobbly-legged and nervous. 

They were allowed to keep their shopping safe in one of the lockers set up alongside the ice rink. Clint paid and they were set up with a pair of skates each. 

"Do you remember how to skate?" Clint laced up his skates, tugging to make sure they were secure to his feet. 

Pietro was doing the same, "A little." He would admit that he may have forgotten most of what he was taught and his muscle memory wasn't likely to kick in after so much time. 

Clint nodded as a he stood up, testing his balance on the blades and quickly getting the hang of it. He and Nat went skating every year for Christmas so he had become rather used to skating around. "It's alright. I can help you if you need me to." 

Pietro gave a slight smile; he hoped once he got on the ice the skill would start to come back to him. He stood up slowly and wobbled, quickly grasping the edge of the rink to steady himself. Clint reached out but Pietro shooed him away, determined. 

His legs shook as they tried to adjust to suddenly having all of his weight displaced onto two thin blades. He managed to find his centre of gravity and slowly straightened up. Clint watched in amusement as Pietro took tiny steps towards the entrance onto the rink. He was still a little unsure but he appeared to be grasping the concept quickly. 

Clint slid out onto the rink and steadied himself on the ice. Muscle memory kicked in as he shifted his legs to test the skates while he waited for Pietro to join him. 

Pietro was slow, but Clint wasn't going to complain. Pietro began to shift onto the ice once he had grasped how to balance himself properly on the skates. He managed to wobble onto the rink, a hand grasping the edge to keep steady. He was doing pretty well, all things considered.

He pushed himself away from the edge and Clint grabbed his hand as he slid his way. Pietro swayed a little but Clint helped him keep his balance. Pietro's cheeks flushed a little but he accepted the help being offered to him. With that, the two began a steady pace around the ice rink. 

Pietro was slowly starting to remember how to skate; he watched Clint's feet, the way they moved to pull him forward and he began to copy. Soon Pietro was skating without much support from Clint and a smile grew across his face. He laughed as they picked up their pace and began to skate around together, hand in hand. 

Clint showed off a little. He performed some spins and turns but didn't dare try anything too extreme; he wasn't a figure skater but he was confident with his skills. Pietro laughed as he watched, their hands never parting as Pietro spun around carefully using Clint's momentum. 

The two skated around for well over an hour. They talked very little and instead focused on enjoying the moment; the listened to the music, people watched and even danced together in a quiet corner of the ice rink. 

When their time was up they left the ice rink with big smiles and rosy cheeks. They handed back the skates and wandered off to investigate the gaming stalls for the last couple of hours.

There was plenty of stalls around to choose from. Hook a duck, hoop and ball games, pop-up rides and even arcade gaming machines and a pinball set up. They were all perfect opportunities for some fun and even a chance to win a prize or two. 

Clint and Pietro both chipped in for some tokens to make sure they had enough between them to have a go on any rides or games they wanted to.

Pietro suggested they go on the rides first and they added in their tokens as a Magic Carpet Ride, a long piece of metal with a row of seats that went up and around in circles. They tried out the Waltzers; a set of chairs on a track that went up and down like a rollercoaster. Clint had insisted that they were spun around and Pietro almost slapped Clint for encouraging the lady to spin them faster every time they came back around.

The rides were fun and soon they moved onto the gaming stalls. 

Pietro had poor luck with any game he tried. Clint insisted they were rigged but Pietro was determined to win at least something small for his boyfriend.

He ended up winning only a small keyring and he handed it sheepishly to Clint. Clint laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek, keeping the key chain safe in his pocket. 

"Alright, now it's my turn to win you something."

"Aw, Clint, you don't have to-" 

Clint had already begun to make his way towards a different gaming stall. It was a ball toss game. There were targets, each with their own numbers. There was a large piece of cardboard towards the back telling you how many points were needed for the different types of prizes.

"So what do you want, P? Pick any prizes you want."

The game manager snorted at Clint's cockiness but accepted the tokens happily, handing Clint a group of five balls to throw. 

Pietro looked over the array of prizes and noticed a rather large stuffed cat. Clint followed his gaze and grinned. The cat was classed as a large prize, which meant he needed 150 points to win it. Easy enough. 

Clint picked up a ball and glanced around the targets. The ones he needed were the smallest and hardest to reach targets, of course. He tossed the ball in his hand as he calculated his throws. He had five balls, which meant five chances. 

This was just too easy. 

He threw the ball and watched as it landed in a 50 circle. He smirked and picked up another as the game manager watched dubiously. Clint landed another 50, then two 25s with ease. He landed the last throw with ease; he watched as the ball slipped into the 50 circle, it ran around the rim, threatening to fall out before it then fell in. 

The game manager rose his brows and nodded. 

"Alright, man. That's fair game." He turned to Clint as he collected up the balls from the targets, putting them away in the basket. "Which prize did you want? You can grab a large one, which is any one of these up here." He gestured up to the board containing the large prizes but Clint didn't bother looking. 

"I'll take the big cat, please." 

The guy nodded and retrieved the prize for Clint. He handed it straight to Pietro who hugged it tightly and grinned. 

"Show off." He teased but he wasn't going to complain. The cat was soft and perfect and it was definitely going to be taking up Clint's place in their bed. 

Clint gave a smug smirk and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend, thanking the game manager before he wandered off. 

"What can I say? You wanted the cat, I got you the cat." He planted a kiss on Pietro's temple as he rolled his eyes fondly. He had seen what Clint could do in an archery range so it was no surprise he was able to hit the targets so precisely. It was like his little superpower.

It was starting to get dark now. The sun was low in the sky which told Clint it was time they started to head home. Daisy and Lucky would need feeding and it wasn't fair to leave them on their own for so long. 

They retrieved their shopping bags from the locker; Clint ended up carrying most of them to allow Pietro to carry home his prize. Clint was starting to wish he had brought the car along.

They walked together through town, a few of the stalls were beginning to close down now and the lights were shining brighter in contrast to the darker surroundings. It only made them even prettier, at least that's what Pietro thought. 

"I really hope I got the right whiskey for Nat." Pietro leaned close to Clint to keep himself warm. The temperature was steadily dropping as the sun hid away behind the landscape and neither of them could wait to be back home in their warm little apartment. 

"Ah, I'm sure it's fine. Either way, it's Russian and it's alcohol. Nat will love it."He teased and Pietro chuckled. 

"Yeah, that sounds like Nat-"

"Don't move!"

Pietro froze as a man stepped out from the shadows. Clint tensed as he gripped Pietro's hand tightly, pausing his step. He eyed the man carefully; he was dressed head to toe in black, face covered with a scarf or bandana. His hand held a gun, cocked and loaded and pointed right at them.

"Alright... alright, take it easy..." Clint kept his eyes on the gun, the guy had his finger around the trigger; he was ready to shoot at any second. 

The guy shifted the gun, aiming it at Pietro, then Clint, then Pietro and back again. His eyes kept flicking between the two of them, cautious. 

The street they were in was small and empty; many were hiding from the heavy snow so it wasn't a surprise to see the street so desolate. Clint shivered as he shifted himself closer to Pietro. 

The guy shifted his gun very quickly to Clint, "I said don't move!" He yelled. He glanced at their bags, "Drop 'em. Hands up." 

Clint nodded and slowly placed the bags on the ground. Pietro shook but followed along quickly, setting down the stuffed animal and what little shopping he was carrying. He felt cold, he had never been in this situation before, even when he lived on the streets. He had no idea what to do, he didn't want to get either of them shot. 

Clint kept calm. He knew he had to get them out of this situation and quickly. The longer they were stood here the more likely it was that one of them was going to get hurt. He couldn't let that happen. 

"Alright, alright..." The guy hesitated, glancing at the bags before glancing back up at Clint. "Your wallet. Hand it over!"

Clint nodded, "Okay, alright." He took a deep breath and reached into the pocket of his jacket slowly, his other hand still raised and easily visible.

The guy waited anxiously, gun trained on Clint as he pulled out his wallet slowly. He extended his hand forward slowly, offering over the wallet. The guy looked down at the wallet and with his free hand reached over to grab it. 

His hand connected with the wallet and Clint made his move. He grabbed the man and pushed him away. The guy stumbled back and fell against a wall with an aggravated grunt. 

"Pietro, run, now!"

"What? No! Are you insane?"

The man rebounded quickly and punched Clint with his gun hand. Clint yelled and stumbled back. The man kicked him down, causing his body to collide back into the wall. His head smashed into the brick, smashing his hearing aid. 

The world around him developed into a fuzzy static of noise. He couldn't tell what was happening, he felt disorientated and dizzy. 

He grumbled, laying in the snow as he tried to get his bearings.

"Clint!" His name was unclear, it sounded like it was far away, somewhere buried deep under the ocean. He clenched his eyes shut and ripped out his hearing aids, clumsily tossing them aside. 

Then there was a bang. 

Followed by more.

They were so loud. Clint heard them clear as day. They were sharp and harsh against his damaged ears. 

He remembered. 

Pietro stood, mouth agape as he stared at the shooter. 

Clint barely managed to turn his head; his eyes widened when he saw what had happened. 

Pietro had wrestled the man to the floor. The gun had gone off. 

Pietro collapsed to the floor, a scared whine escaping his throat as the shooter scrambled up and away from the scene. Pietro gasped, his hands dug into the thick snow as he stared at Clint helplessly. 

Clint scrambled up and run over to Pietro, collapsing on his knees beside him. He picked him up from the snow and held him close, his hands shaking as he looked over Pietro's body. He couldn't count the holes. There was too much, shit, there was so much blood. 

Pietro was speaking, Clint could see it but he couldn't focus enough to understand what he was saying. He stared at Pietro's lips, shaking his head slowly. 

"Pietro, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay, alright? You're okay." The words fell out of his mouth, he had no idea if they even made sense. His ears rang as he gripped Pietro's hand, he wanted to apply pressure but he had no idea where. 

Pietro choked on another shaky gasp. 

Clint watched in horror as Pietro raised his hands slowly, confused. Pietro's hands shook as they began to move. Clint focused on the movements, not understanding.

Then it hit him. 

"You... You learned sign language?"

Pietro nodded, swallowing against his drying throat as he signed again. 

I love you

Don't be scared

Clint didn't cry easily. But this broke him. He sobbed and shook his head, grasping Pietro's hands with his own. He pressed his head to Pietro's, feeling his breaths begin to slow. 

"I love you too... God, Pietro I love you so much." He whispered, at least he thought it was a whisper. 

He had to call an ambulance. 

He pulled back and shoved his hands into his pocket to find his phone, keeping the other hand pressed to Pietro's chest. His chest rose and fell quickly, shaking with the effort to stay alive. Clint's vision blurred with his tears as he managed to dig out his phone. He tapped blindly and held the phone up to his ear. 

He could barely make out the rings and a voice on the other end. He couldn't hear what was being said.

"Please... Please I need help..." He sobbed and looked down at Pietro. He was struggling, his eyelid fluttered softly against the snowflakes as he tried to stay awake. Clint urged him to stay awake. "My boyfriend... He's been shot... Please. We're..." He looked around desperately for a street sign, anything to tell him where he was. "49th... Outside of the Christmas market." He looked back to Pietro. His eyes were closed. 

He shook Pietro, "Come on, kid... Come on you gotta stay awake. Don't do this to me, don't you fucking dare." His throat protested, he knew he was screaming.

Pietro mumbled as his eyes opened, they were unfocused, dull. 

Clint dropped his phone into the snow and pulled Pietro up to his chest, crying into his hair as he gripped his jacket.

"Please..." He whimpered. "Please, Pietro, you can't do this to me..."

His voice trailed off to make way for his tears. He lost his focus, he began to rock gently with his boyfriend in his arms. There was nothing he could do. 

"Please..."


	20. Chapter 20

The past few hours had been a blur to Clint. 

Natasha had been the one to call the ambulance. He hadn't realised it when he called, but he had phoned his friend by accident. He didn't even notice until he was in the waiting room and she was handing him a cup of coffee.

Pietro had been rushed into surgery as soon as they reached the hospital. Clint couldn't listen to what had been said, his hearing aids gone. Nat tried to explain but he struggled to take in the movements of her hands enough to understand, so eventually, he just zoned out.

His coffee had gone cold. He hadn't even touched it. Nat ended up throwing it in the bin and she didn't offer to get another one for him. Clint didn't ask.

He felt numb. He was covered in Pietro's blood, it was dry now, sticking to his skin and his clothes. He knew he should wash it off, clean himself up. But he couldn't move.

Nat paced back and forth in front of Clint slowly, her eyes trained on the hallway where the doctors and nurses seemed to come from. They were currently waiting on any news from the surgery room; they had been told that it could be another few hours or a few minutes until they got an update. The vagueness of the whole situation had Natasha on edge.

Clint blinked slowly as he stared at the wall. There was a couple opposite giving him strange looks; he didn't really notice them. His hands gripped at his jacket. He still felt cold despite being inside the heated room. His eyes were dry and puffy now, bloodshot and sore. He couldn't remember when the tears stopped, he assumed it was around the same time the shock had set in. 

Nat huffed and took a seat next to her friend. She glanced to him, he hadn't moved since he had sat down, hunched over and arms wrapped loosely around his stomach, elbows on his thighs. She nudged him gently before she began to sign.

'How are you holding up?' 

Clint didn't answer, his head gave a shallow shook as he slumped further. Nat tried again.

'We should probably get you cleaned up.' 

His fingers dug into his jacket further, he wasn't even looking at her. Nat sighed softly and squeezed his shoulder. She wasn't going to push. 

They sat for another hour in silence. It was getting late now, long since sun-down. Nat was starting to feel weary but she refused to leave Clint alone. It had now been a total of 5 hours since they had arrived at the hospital.

An exhausted looking surgeon came from the hallway, looking down at a clipboard. Her hair was covered with a paper cap, seemingly having come straight from the operating theatre. 

"Family of Pietro Maximoff?" The doctor looked up.

Nat looked and nodded her head, "Yeah, we're Pietro's family." She rose from her seat and headed over to the doctor. 

Clint saw the movement from the corner of his eyes and tilted his head to look. His gut twisted in confusion and anxiety. He knew they were talking about Pietro, they had to be. He tried to lip read but it was hard to focus.

The doctor looked towards Clint, seeing the state he was in before turning back to Natasha. "Pietro has sustained an incredible amount of damage. He was shot 8 times, a lot of his organs took a pretty big hit. He has a punctured lung and the bullets tore through a lot of tissue. There was a lot of internal bleeding. He was in critical condition for a while." 

Nat nodded stiffly. "And?"

The doctor gave a sigh, "We managed to get him into a more stable condition and repair most of the damage he sustained. However, due to the extent of the damage his body incurred he is currently in a coma. His body has, essentially, shut itself down so it can heal." She explained slowly, "He is far from out of the woods yet. We will be monitoring him closely for any changes. As of yet, we are unsure if or when he will wake up." She placed the clipboard aside. "He is no longer in the operating theatre so you and your friend are more than welcome to sit with him."

Nat took the information and let it process. "Of course. Thank you, doctor."

The doctor nodded, gave a weary smile before she left.

Natasha took a steady breath and turned to Clint.

Clint stared, he felt sick. He had no idea what was going on, he didn't know if something had happened. He couldn't read Nat's face and his stomach clenched in a way that made him want to throw up.

Nat kneeled in front of Clint and made sure his eyes were trained on her. She signed slowly, hoping that it somehow helped him keep on track. She repeated what the doctor had said to her the best she could and Clint's face twisted and morphed into confusion as he tried to understand. His head thumped heavily, there was a hot pain behind his eyes and it was hard to focus on what she was telling him exactly. 

He tried to sign back.

'He's not dead?'

Nat shook her head to agree and Clint let out a dry sob of relief.

'He's okay?' His eyes teared as he tried to make sense of the situation. 

Nat hesitated as she tried to figure out the best way to sign what she needed to tell him. She then nodded and signed a simple word. 

'Coma.'

Clint froze and he felt his heart ached as the tears began to trickle down his cheeks. Nat tapped his knee before giving it a firm squeeze. 

'He's okay' She reiterated, 'He needs to heal' She tried to explain but it was hard. Sign language could be a little limiting without spelling out every single word and she knew Clint would have no chance of being able to follow along if she did. 

Clint gave a nod. He still didn't fully understand what was going on, but Pietro was alive and he was okay and that was enough to ease the feeling in his stomach. He heaved a shaky breath and buried his face in his hands. Everything was suddenly too bright and loud and a queasiness settled over him. 

Nat nudged him again and he looked up past his fingers. She signed. 'Do you want to see him?'

Clint nodded quick enough to make his head throb and Nat helped him up from the seat. She tried to avoid the stains on his jacket as she wrapped her hand around his wrist to guide him down the hallways. 

The door to Pietro's room was ajar and a nurse was inside collecting whatever data she needed. Nat stepped inside first and nodded to the nurse in greeting. The nurse tilted her head. 

"Family?" He asked. Nat nodded and she walked past the doorway, guiding Clint in behind her. The nurse glanced at them both and gave a look of pity to Clint. "I'm afraid you won't be able to stay long. Visiting hours are over." He stared at Clint for a moment before placing the notes he had been making at the end of the bed in a plastic file holder. "You can stay for 5 minutes but no longer-"

Clint fell to his knees. Nat reached out to catch him as a reflex as his knees cracked against the floor. She held his shoulders, leaning his body against her legs as Clint let out a dry sob, clinging to her hands. The nurse made a move to come over to them, worried that Clint was about to collapse. Nat shook her head quietly, knowing Clint just wanted to see Pietro. The nurse nodded hesitantly, reminding her softly that they only had 5 minutes before he left to give them some space. 

"Come on," She whispered as she began to urge him back up to his feet and over towards the bed.

Pietro was lying there, motionless and paler than Clint had ever seen him. There was monitoring wires attached to his chest under a paper gown and a tube down his throat to help him breathe. Bandages and gauze were peeking out from under the gown, almost disappearing against his colourless skin. 

Clint was nudged into a chair beside the bed; he reached out and grabbed on to Pietro's hand, half expecting him to grip back. Clint thought, in that moment, that Pietro looked scarily young. Too young to be lying in this bed, on the vail of life and death. He had only just settled into life, into his job and new family. He was too young to be ripped away from it all, it was too soon. Far too soon. 

The heart monitor fell on deaf ears as Clint's head sunk to the mattress beside Pietro's cold hand, the fingertips gently brushed against his forehead. 

Natasha watched as her friend shook helplessly with silent cries. She had never seen him so shook up; Clint was a strong man. He had been through a lot and she knew just how tough he tried to be. She knew then just how much Pietro really meant to Clint. She looked away from the scene, feeling too much like an intruder. 

Clint was silent as he sat there with his boyfriend, taking in small, sharp breaths through his teeth. He shut his eyes tight and pressed his head to Pietro's unresponsive hand. His free hand flailed to the side until it landed on the heartbeat monitor. He held his breath, pressing against the machine as he felt for the vibrations. 

Buh-bump. Buh-bump.

The vibrations settled through his palm and fingertips. He breathed out as he felt the rhythm flow steadily across his skin. 

Pietro was alive. His heart was still beating. 

Clint shook his head and began to heave as tears soaked into the thin hospital blankets. He was relieved, he knew that for now at least he still had Pietro, but a deeper, more cynical part of him questioned how long Pietro could hang on for. 

A knock at the door at Nat turning her head. The nurse stood there and silently touched his watch. She nodded slowly and held up one finger. The nurse looked at Clint, pity in his eyes before he backed out of the room again. 

Natasha sighed as she made her way over to Clint and placed a hand on his shoulder. Clint looked up, blinking away the tears as she began to sigh. 

'Time up. Need to go home.'

Clint blinked and Nat repeated the motions slower. He paused for a moment before the words began to register and he almost shook his head.

Instead, he nodded slowly in understanding and turned back to Pietro. He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to Pietro's knuckles and squeezed his hand as some semblance of 'i love you' fell from his lips. Nat gripped his shoulders again and began to pull him away. Clint's hand fell from the monitor and his fingers grazed across Pietro's before they too fell away. 

Clint zoned out after that. He couldn't remember the journey through the hospital and the next time he was able to focus back to reality they were no longer in the hospital. 

He was in the passenger seat of a car, a decent car at that. At first, he thought Nat was taking him home but the car wasn't her's. 

He blinked slowly and raised his head, glancing around until his eyes landed on the driver. 

Tony tapped the wheel to a quiet song playing through the radio, tired but not sleepy. He was alert as they drove through the relatively quiet roads. He glanced over briefly before quickly turning back to the road. 

Clint knew he wouldn't be able to lip-read from this angle and his head hurt too much to even attempt it. Tony seemed to realise this too and stayed silent as he continued to drive. 

Clint zoned out for most of the ride until Tony was opening his door and reaching in to help him inside. Clint didn't fight. Exhaustion had begun to set in deep within his bones so he let himself be dragged through his apartment building. 

Tony managed to find a key in one of Clint's pockets and opened the door to the apartment. 

Lucky came running over and sniffed at the two men. Tony shooed her away as he kicked the door shut, throwing the keys to the side. Lucky whined in confusion, noticing Pietro was missing. 

"Lucky, bed," Tony ordered, needing the dog out of the way. Clint was his priority at the moment and as much as he loved the dog she wasn't much help right now. 

Lucky gave another whine and licked at Clint's fingers before she wandered away to lie down in her bed. Daisy yawned as she stretched her small legs out but otherwise stayed where she was in the dog's bed. 

Tony made his way over to the bathroom and pulled Clint along with him before he sat him down on the closed toilet carefully. He opened his mouth before remembering what Nat had told him. Clint didn't have his hearing aids, and Tony's sign language was limited. 

Thinking on his feet, Tony reached down and tugged at Clint's shirt before pointing to the shower. Gestures were going to be the best bet for communicating until Tony managed to find Clint's back up hearing aids. 

Clint tilted his head before he glanced towards the shower, then down to himself. His head was still a foggy mess but he managed to grasp what Tony was trying to say to him. He nodded slowly and carefully brought himself to his feet. He wobbled, bracing himself against the sick as he took a deep breath to steady himself. 

Tony reached forward but stopped when Clint's hands swatted at him before waving him out of the room. Tony hesitated, reluctant to leave his friend in such a state but nodded in understanding and backed out of the bathroom slowly.

Clint, for the most part, managed to muster enough brainpower to strip himself of his clothes, kicking them to the corner for future him to deal with, and dragged his body into the shower. 

The steam helped to clear his mind a little and Clint began to feel less gross as he cleaned away the muck and grime from his skin. He still felt hollow, everything he was doing was auto-pilot at this point. But he managed to get himself cleaned at least. 

Walking into his bedroom he noticed a set of clothes on the bed ready for him and changed into them slowly. His whole body felt like it was weighing him down, his head felt heavy and his eyes were already half-closed by the time he had pulled everything on. 

Clint couldn't even bring himself to look at the empty bed. He concerned crawling under the covers, giving in to the exhaustion but the thought of laying in that bed without Pietro by his side left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

He shuffled into the living room and let himself fall onto the sofa. 

Tony had been doing what he could to keep himself busy. He did the dishes from this morning, made sure the pets were fed and put away the dishes and some other bits of clutter before he made his way over to Clint. 

"Alright buddy, let's get you settled in." Tony knew Clint wouldn't hear him but he spoke anyway. He helped Clint get into a more comfortable position, tucking his legs up on to the sofa and shifting him on to his side so his face wasn't buried into the cushions. He pulled a blanket down from the back of the sofa and draped it over Clint before patting his shoulder gently. 

Clint was already half asleep by the time he was tucked up and settled on the sofa. He wanted to fight it, to stay awake in case something happened at the hospital. But it was late, and he was exhausted in every sense of the word. In the end, he fell asleep to the sounds of the TV and Tony making coffee as he settled in for a long night of watch duty.


	21. Chapter 21

When Clint woke up he was greeted by Tony, a plate of toast and a cup of dark coffee in his hands. He had managed to coax Clint into a slice and a half of toast and most of the coffee before his friend began to fuss about visiting Pietro. Tony, knowing better than to try and argue, drove Clint down to the hospital after ensuring he had his spare hearing aids in. 

Despite now being able to hear, Clint remained unresponsive for the most part. The doctors and nurses learned quickly that it was better to leave him be. Tony had decided to stay, as well, to keep an eye on his friend. Steve had everything handled back home and had ensured Tony he was fine to stay with Clint as long as necessary. 

Tony had already made a few calls, knowing Nat had done the same to keep everyone informed. She had managed to explain everything to Fury, and despite the man's cold exterior he had been understanding and cleared both Clint and Pietro from work, finding temps to cover their shifts. 

It was well into the afternoon when Nat had called Tony to switch over watch duty on Clint. Tony was happy to go home to his family but asked for updates if anything happened. It was only a few minutes later when Nat pulled up to the hospital and was knocking on the door to alert Tony. 

"He's just been sat there since we got here this morning. He hasn't eaten so try and see if you can get him to eat something when you take him home." Tony paused as he turned to the door, spotting the familiar red-head. It was the figure behind her that made him hesitant. Nat gave a somewhat guilty look. 

"Sorry Tony, I probably should have given you some warning..." She stepped into the room and Wanda followed in from behind, Nat's jacket huddled around her shoulders and her hair wet with melted snow. 

"I..." She glanced around Tony towards Pietro, taking in a sharp breath. "Nat picked me up from the airport." She explained softly, tearing her eyes away to glance at Tony. Tony in turn gave her a nod. 

"Well, I'm glad you could make it, kid." He gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder before he made his way out of the hospital with a final goodbye. 

Clint, for his part, was now staring at Wanda, eyes wide and unsure. She looked exhausted, eyes red-rimmed and swollen as she switched between staring at her unconscious brother and Clint. Nat gave the girl a quick hug before she mentioned something about coffee as she left, wanting to give the two a minute to talk. 

Wanda was still for a moment, considering before she wandered over carefully. She pulled over a spare chair and positioned it next to Clint's. In silence, she sat herself down, pulling off the jacket from around her shoulders and laying it across her lap like a blanket. Clint watched her cautiously as she settled herself on the chair, an unreadable expression across her face. Then, she reached out, covering Clint's hand with her own as it rested on his knee, the other currently wrapped around Pietro's. Clint glanced down at the action before twisting his hand enough to hold her's. She squeezed gently. 

"Natasha explained what she could to me," She began, "but I didn't really hear anything after 'Pietro's been shot'." She admitted, training her eyes to her brother's form. The damaged was covered by his gown and the blankets, but Clint knew what was hidden. He was glad Wanda couldn't see. "She didn't know much."

Clint managed a nod. He hadn't been able to explain much; he knew the police were still waiting for a statement and the hospital only knew the extent of the damage and their own theories. Clint knew he should explain, tell her what had happened properly. 

"I tried to protect him." 

Wanda nodded this time, brushing her thumb across the pad of his own. She didn't try to encourage him, necessarily, but Clint felt obligated to try and explain. 

"I... I distracted the guy, told Pietro to run and..." He swallowed, "And the dumb bastard didn't listen to me." There was no heat behind his word's, he could never be angry with Pietro over what the boy had done. Clint was almost sure that if he had been in Pietro's shoes, he would have done the same thing. 

Wanda hummed, the sound catching in her throat. "He loves you, Clint. He wouldn't have left you, you mean too much to him."

"I know."

"And I'm sure you would have done the same."

"Without question." He whispered and he couldn't help but pull the girl towards him. It was a little awkward, not quite a hug but the touch was comforting. Wanda sniffled, blinking her teary eyes as she leaned her head to Clint's shoulder, squeezing his hand just a little tighter. 

"Nat says it's 'touch and go', at the moment. The doctors aren't sure he will pull through." She mentioned quietly, her voice wet as she took a deep breath. "But I know he will pull through. He has to." She sounded so sure and Clint almost caught himself believing her, just for a moment. But he wasn't stupid, he knew the chances. It was hard to tell whether or not his body would be able to recover. The doctors seemed hopeful, at least, but even they had to be realistic. 

"It's early days," He found himself saying, "We can't tell yet." He knew he sounded grim. He should be comforting Wanda, telling her that everything was going to be okay, he knew that. But he just couldn't quite muster up the effort to lie. Wanda was a smart girl, too, even if he did manage to sound convincing it wasn't like she would ever truly believe him. 

It was quiet for a moment before Clint felt the urge to speak up. 

"I was going to propose."

Wanda startled, pulling back to look up at him. 

"What?"

Clint sighed, feeling some of the weight lift from his chest. "I bought a ring. Before it all happened. I planned to ask him on Christmas, but..." He trailed off, staring down at Pietro's hand wrapped up in his own. Wanda looked too, imagine the grin on her brothers face as he slipped on the ring Christmas morning. 

She nodded slowly, "I think he would love that." She whispered, leaning back against Clint. 

The silence stretched between them for a while. Nat came back in with a tray of coffee and two containers of sandwiches. She set the tray down quietly, handing over the coffees before setting down a sandwich container in each of their laps. 

"You're both probably hungry. Figured this was the easiest option." She shrugged and picked up her own coffee to help keep her going through the rest of the afternoon. Wanda nodded her thanks, her appetite lacking but she opened the packet and began to pick. With all the rush to get back, she had forgotten to eat anything since yesterday. 

Clint grimaced a little but Nat gave him a stern look. He opened up the little plastic lid and made an attempt to eat what he could. 

They ate in silence. Nat kept a keen eye on both of them, keeping Tony updated on the situation. Wanda and Clint didn't bother with much small talk and Nat didn't feel right trying to instigate meaningless conversation. When the two had finished their meals, Nat binned whatever was leftover and settled herself against the wall. 

It was quiet for the remainder of the afternoon. Eventually, the nurse had to come in and kick them out once visiting hours were over. Wanda was hesitant at first but Clint ensured her that she would be able to come with him tomorrow. That only settled her somewhat but she gave Pietro a kiss on the forehead and muttered in her mother tongue before Nat guided them both out of the room. 

Out on the street, Clint took in a breath of fresh air, rolling his shoulders as his spine cracked from sitting in a chair for hours. Wanda gave a similar stretch before turning to watch Natasha walk over to her motorcycle. Clint eyed it dubiously, knowing full well that the three of them were not going to fit. 

"I'll walk home." He shrugged, tugging his jacket around himself tighter. It was cold, but the snow was light. The ground was covered in a blanket of snow around 4 inches thick. He could feel his shoes dampening already but his apartment wasn't too far. 

Wanda seemed to think for a moment as Clint began to walk away, looking back at Nat. She bit her lip, handing over the jacket she had borrowed earlier, "I think I'm going to walk with him." She managed a small smile, "Thank you for picking me up at the airport."

Nat's cheeks flushed, whether it was from the cold or otherwise, was a mystery. "No problem." She looked down at the jacket before handing it back over to Wanda. "Here, if you're gonna walk you need this more than I do." She gave the girl a quick hug before nudging her away. "Go on. Go catch up to him."

Clint had already made it a fair way down the street by the time Wanda had made her mind up. She nodded quickly, watching for a second as Nat straddled her bike, pulling out a spare jacket alongside her helmet before she finally made after Clint. 

She called out as she pulled the jacket over her shoulders, jogging to catch up to Clint before he disappeared down the end of the street. The snow didn't help, but she managed to catch his attention enough. He slowed down to stop when he saw Wanda coming towards, a little curious. 

She huffed as she caught up to him, "I..." She paused, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "I, well I thought it would be nice to walk with you." She folded her arms across her chest, hugging herself tightly as Clint watched her. "I haven't had a chance to properly stretch my legs." She explained, "And I thought you could use the company. We both could, I suppose." 

Clint found that he had to agree. He didn't particularly want to be alone right now, too much time to spend alone with his thoughts. He nodded slowly and began to walk again. 

"Yeah... I guess some company would be nice." 

Wanda seemed to relax as she began to follow him home. The walk was just as silent as the hospital. It was a cold walk, but thankfully the snow stayed steady and the streets were quiet. It was peaceful, almost. Under different circumstances, Clint probably would have appreciated it more. 

Once they reached his apartment, Clint considered for a moment. Wanda's apartment was blocks away and she was already looking on the blue side. 

"Do you... wanna come in?"

Wanda gave a thankful look as she shuddered and followed him inside. 

Clint managed to find some warm, dry clothes for both of them to change into before he fed Lucky and Daisy. He made some coffee to help warm them up and they settled quietly on the sofa. At some point, the TV was switched on for background noise but neither of them really knew what was playing. 

At some point, Wanda had ended up falling asleep, no doubt jetlagged. Clint mustered the strength to carry her to his bed, tucking her in before he settled himself on the sofa to try and get some sleep of his own. 

A couple of days passed and Clint ended up spending a lot of time with Wanda. Tony and Nat still checked up on him a lot, whether it was through a phone call or a visit, but he managed fine without them. Wanda began to spend a lot of time at Clint's apartment, and if she wasn't there then Clint was with her in her apartment. 

Her apartment was nice for a teacher's salary. She had managed to get her own place now and it was nice. Clint found it was like a breath of fresh air, being away from his apartment. And the company helped as well, they managed to keep each other in check and for some reason, Clint found it less annoying when Wanda was the one nagging him to eat instead of Tony. 

On the third day, Tony decided to bring Steve and Peter to the hospital to visit. Peter had been freaked out when he was told Pietro was in the hospital and had begged to go see him. Steve and Tony finally gave in and so they turned up, Peter in Steve's arms and Tony carrying some flowers and a get well soon card made by Peter. 

Clint looked up when they entered and nodded to them. He didn't really know what to say. 

"Uncle Clint!" Peter wriggled and Steve set him down carefully before the small boy set off in a short sprint to reach Clint. He managed to climb his way into the older man's lap and gave him a firm hug. Clint couldn't help but hug him back, sighing softly. 

"Hey there, little spider-monkey." He glanced over as Tony gave him a small smile before setting down the card and flowers on the side table by the bed. Clint nodded a thank you as Steve made his way over, reaching down to squeeze Clint's shoulder. 

"How are you holding up?"

Clint shrugged, "I'm alright." A blatant lie, Steve knew that but he gave a nod regardless. He then turned his attention to Wanda, curled up fast asleep on the sofa on the other side of the room. "She's not sleeping the best." He explained, letting Peter shuffled around in his lap until the kid got himself comfortable. "I figured I'd leave her be, she needs the rest."

Steve nodded in understanding as he sat down on one of the spare chairs. "Do the police have any news yet?" 

Clint shook his head, "I only gave my statement this morning but they said it was unlikely they would find who did this."

Peter huffed in his arms, "But that's not fair!" Steve hushed him, pointing towards Wanda. Peter frowned but quieted down a little. "They can't just let the man who did this get away. He hurt Uncle Pietro!" He whined. Clint hugged him tighter, curling the boy closer as he rubbed his back. 

"I know, Petey. But they can't always catch the bad guy."

Peter sniffled, curling up against Clint's side as he looked over at Pietro. "It's not fair..." He mumbled. Clint continued to rub his back, feeling his chest tighten at the worried look in Peter's wide doe eyes. He thought for a second before he glanced towards the heartbeat monitor. 

"Hey Pete, look." He nudged the boy gently, pointing towards the monitor as he moved the kid closer to make sure he had a good look. "You see this?"

Peter gave a nod. 

"Well, this is Pietro's heartbeat. You see how it's going in this steady rhythm?" He pointed with his finger, moving it up and down until Peter could recognise the pattern and he gave another nod. "This means that he's gonna be okay. As long as it stays like this, Pietro's gonna pull through." He explained, watching Peter carefully. The kid watched the monitor, his eyes following the glowing lines as they moved with the rhythm of Pietro's heartbeat. It seemed to comfort him enough and he started to relax. He kept his eyes trained on the monitor, making sure the rhythm didn't change. 

Tony had to admit that he was somewhat impressed. He knew how Clint was struggling, yet he still managed to find it in him to make sure Peter was soothed and Wanda was looked after. He always admired that trait within his friend.

They only stayed an hour or so before they decided it was time to head home. It wasn't long then until visiting hours were over and Clint ended up spending the night at Wanda's apartment.

After that, the others began to visit. Pietro's room began to fill up with cards and flowers. There was even a stuffed animal or two from the hospital gift shop. Sam stopped by first with Nat, then Fury came by long enough to drop off a card. A lot of old friends came by, people he rarely saw outside of holidays because they were all off doing their own thing. Bucky, Bruce, Thor, Rhodey, Carol, T'Challa. Clint was sure he hadn't seen a lot of these people for years, most hadn't even met Pietro before the incident. Nonetheless, Clint tried to appreciate their sentiments. Tony had apparently been keeping in contact with a lot of their friends and Clint hadn't even realised. 

At one point a doctor made a comment about how popular Pietro must be. Clint wasn't sure how to feel about that, but he let himself indulge in the idea of Pietro meeting everyone properly once he woke up. 

Clint didn't let himself think about the other possibilities.


	22. Chapter 22

Christmas and New Years went by quietly with no real change. Clint spent whatever time he could at the hospital, completely missing the holidays. Whenever visiting hours were open, Clint insisted on going to the hospital to sit beside Pietro and watch over him. No one had the heart to argue against it. He would sit beside the bed in silence, watching quietly as the nurses and doctors came by and left just as quickly for check-ups. Wanda was usually with him while Tony and Nat alternated in looking after the pair, ensuring that they ate and took care of themselves.

Clint found food hard to stomach most of the time but tried for his friend's sake. He slept very little, usually in short bursts whenever his body finally gave out, only to be awoken hours later with panic in his chest and his ears ringing. Someone was always there when he woke up.

Pietro still had visitors. His room was filled with bright flowers and cards wishing him well from people he didn't even know. The colours felt wrong but Clint supposed it was sweet that some many people cared about a kid they had never met before. Pietro seemed to have that effect on people.

The doctors came and went, doing their checks and ensuring Pietro was still healing. Their updates were usually the same. His body had been healing well, the outer wounds had all healed to nothing but scars and the more extensive internal damaged had been doing well. He had started breathing on his own about two weeks after surgery but was still in a catatonic state. The doctors explained that with the trauma of the surgery and the initial gunshot wounds, he was still trying to heal on a deeper, psychological level wherein the brain was trying to protect itself from further trauma. The hospital felt confident that Pietro would wake up with time and a bit of patience.

It had now been almost a month since Pietro was shot. Clint felt he had been as patient as he could be.

"Any change?" Wanda wandered into the room, Natha's jacket around her shoulders and covered in snow. She sat down in her usual spot beside Clint and took the coffee from the tray between them.

Clint shook his head and sighed, "Not yet. The doctor came in this morning, it's still just a matter of waiting."

Wanda nodded, gripping the cup between her hands to warm herself up. Winter was still in full swing and hitting the city hard. Clint didn't care as long as the roads were clear, though he did find something peaceful about the snow. He supposed it reminded him of Pietro, their first meeting, taking him home.

"But he's doing good, that's all that matters." Wanda blew on her coffee before taking a sip, staring at her brother. Pietro looked a little underweight but healthier than he had been a couple of weeks ago. She ran a hand briefly through his messy hair with a small smile on her face. "He'll wake up soon," She said softly, "I can feel it."

Clint hummed in response, squeezing Pietro's hand gently. "He's tough. I know he'll pull through." He pulled his hand back slowly, brushing against Pietro's fingers as he withdrew.

Pietro's finger twitched, barely catching Clint's own as he froze.

Wanda gasped, the coffee slipped between her fingers but she caught it and set it down beside her feet. She brushed her thumb across his forehead and watched as it crinkled beneath her hand.

"Pietro?" She stood and Clint followed, pressing close against her as he gripped Pietro's hand tighter. "Pietro, it's me. It's Wanda, can you hear me?" She watched carefully, tense as Pietro twitched, his head lolling towards the pair as his eyes twitch and his face scrunched up.

Clint almost forgot how to breathe, "Pietro?" He questioned, leaning closer as he choked down on a gasp.

Pietro's eyes opened briefly, blinking lethargically as he adjusted to the light. He grumbled, breathing slowly as his hand instinctively gripped Clint's hand, a little weak but there.

Wanda cried, placing a hand over her mouth as she sobbed. "He's awake!" She stepped back only for a moment and Clint heard as she called out into the corridor for a doctor or a nurse.

Clint heaved out a breath and his head fell to Pietro's chest for a moment. He shook as he lifted his head, cupping Pietro's face as he grinned.

"Hey... Hey, Pietro. I'm here. You're okay," He choked on a laugh, "You're okay, I got you. I'm here." He whispered, kissing Pietro's forehead. The doctor rushed in behind him and Clint stepped back. He turned to Wanda and the two smiled, breathing out laughs as she ran to hug him.

The doctor checked Pietro and a nurse came in with a jug of water to soothe Pietro's dry throat. They sat him up carefully, ran through some questions and let him come around properly. Wanda and Clint watched on, staying close.

"Well, this is definitely very good news. You are alert and aware of your surroundings, it appears that you don't have any brain trauma and all your tests and scans are normal. I feel confident in saying that you are out of the woods. We would still like to keep you here for another day or two for observations, just to make sure."

Pietro nodded, head fuzzy but understanding the best he could before the doctor left to give them some privacy. He tilted his head to the side, giving a tired smile to his boyfriend. Wanda had left, knowing she needed to call everyone and wanting to give Clint some time alone with her brother.

"Hey," Pietro croaked, reaching his hand towards Clint.

"Hey." Clint smiled, leaning close to grab Pietro's hand and hold it tight. "How are you feeling?"

Pietro hummed, "Good... Tired, sore, but... good." He sighed softly, looking over Clint, noticing his messy hair, his dark sunken eyes, the way he slouched. "I'm glad you're okay." He murmured.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay too." He paused, reaching over to tuck a strand of Pietro's hair away from his face. "You had us all scared there for a while. Pretty touch and go but you pulled through."

"Hm, I suppose I did." He huffed, "It's really been almost a month?"

Clint nodded and Pietro's face twisted.

"I missed Christmas?" He realised and Clint nodded again.

"Yeah... Everyone came to visit you. They left some presents." He gestured to the corner of the room where a small pile of Christmas gifts were stacked together.

Pietro nodded this time and swallowed. "I'm sorry I missed it." He whispered before gesturing for his water. Clint caught on quickly and held the glass to his lips, helping him drink it carefully.

"You don't have to be sorry, you big idiot." Clint set the water back down, shaking his head softly. "I'm just... I'm just glad you're alive, Pietro. Christmas doesn't matter." He leaned down, pressing a kiss to Pietro's knuckles before enveloping his hand with his own.

Pietro frowned, wishing he could reach out to Clint and hug him tight and never let go, "I'm sorry I put you through all of this."

Clint was shaking his head before he had a chance to finish. "No. Don't you dare apologise for any of this. I should have protected you more."

Pietro shuffled, trying to push himself up but Clint was already setting him back against the pillows. "Clint," He wheezed, "Please, this wasn't your... your fault, I chose to... I just wanted to..." He trailed off as Clint reached down to hug him carefully, not wanting to jostle his sore muscles about. He hushed Pietro softly, kissing his hair. He didn't want to get into this now, not when Pietro had only just woken up.

Wanda smiled as she walked back into the room, sitting down on her chair. Clint noticed and pulled back, clearing his throat as Pietro just smiled at her.

"I've just rung Nat, she said she is going to let everyone know that you're awake. She's gonna come by to visit tomorrow, give you some time to adjust."

Pietro nodded. He didn't feel up to seeing too many people today, but he was happy he could see his friends soon. "Speaking of visitors," He turned his head to look around at the abundance of cards, flowers and get well soon gifts around his room. "Where did all of these come from?"

Clint glanced around the room and smiles, "I guess a few of the family friend's were just trying to be supportive. You were supposed to meet most of them at Christmas, but..." Clint trailed off and Pietro nodded in understanding.

"Well, maybe when I'm up to it, I can meet them all properly?"

Clint nodded, "I think that would be nice."

The rest of the day was spent quietly. Wanda and Pietro talked, sometimes in their native tongue and other times in English. Clint talked too, but he was content to just sit and watch as Pietro moved around. He wasn't very enthusiastic, in fact, he was rather sluggish, but he was moving and breathing and alive and that's all Clint cared about. The relief he felt was almost paralysing, to know how close he had been to losing Pietro and how lucky they were that he was still alive made him feel sick and fuzzy. Live was so precious and Clint hadn't realised he needed that wake-up call.

Clint thought about the ring buried in his bedside drawer back home.

Now wasn't the right time.

It took a few more days before Pietro was cleared to be able to go home. They wanted to keep him monitored until they were sure it was safe. They had to make sure Pietro could walk around on his own, go to the bathroom and eat without any issues. When they cleared him, they gave Clint a set of instructions and told him to keep an eye on any changes in Pietro's state. He assured them that Pietro wouldn't leave his sight and they were satisfied that he would be in very good hands.

They didn't let him walk to the door. He was wheeled down the hallways in a chair while Clint walked beside him. His room had already been cleared of the cards and get well soon gifts, which were now safely tucked away back home, out of Lucky's reach.

When they reached the door, the nurse helped Pietro out of his chair.

"Right, take it easy for the next few weeks. It may take some time to adjust again so pace yourself."

Pietro nodded, thanking the nurse as they went back inside with a smile.

Clint turned to Pietro and linked their arms together. "You ready to go home?"

"Yeah," Pietro breathed, "I'm ready."

With a nod, Clint led Pietro down the steps carefully and helped him into the car.

When they got in, Lucky was immediately blocked from jumping up on to Pietro and Clint managed to calm her down enough for Pietro to make his way into the apartment and give her the pets she was demanding. Pietro laughed and kneeled cautiously as Lucky licked his face enthusiastically, tail swinging side to side at top velocities. Clint helped Pietro move up on to the sofa instead and Lucky pushed her way in between his legs, her head pointed up and resting against his stomach while he scratched behind her ears.

Daisy was a bit hesitant at first, a bit nerved from all the excitement of Lucky. She had grown a bit while Pietro had been in the hospital but she was still relatively small. Once Lucky had settled a little she crawled over, hopping up on to the arm of the sofa and making her way over along the back. She sniffed Pietro before mewling and butting her head against his cheek. He grinned and reached up, scritching her gently under her chin.

Clint, happy that Pietro was now settled on the sofa, decided to go and make dinner. His nerves had settled a lot now that Pietro was back home and he felt better about eating. He rummaged through the cupboards and managed to scavenge together... something edible.

While he was waiting for everything to cook, Tony's ringtone bleared through his phone speaker.

"Hey, Tones."

"Clint! Hi, its Steve."

Clint raised an eyebrow to himself as he knelt in front of the oven.

"Tony sorta called you and then ran off without his phone, you know how he is." Steven chuckled on the other end."

"Yeah, it's all good."

"I heard Pietro's back home now, how's he doing?"

Clint tilted his head to look at Pietro but he only caught sight of a mop of silver hair.

"He's doing okay, I think. He's glad to be back home."

"Ah, I bet. Well uhm, Tony wanted me to ask you..." He trailed off and Clint heard Peter in the background, something about a game he was playing. "Ah, yeah, Tony wanted me to ask you if you thought Pietro would like to come over here for a sort of 'Christmas Re-do'? Tony said he felt bad that Pietro missed out and he thought it would be good to invite everyone over so Pietro could meet everyone properly?"

Clint considered for a moment, "Uh, I'll have to ask him but I don't see why not. Let me just-"

The phone clicked and rustling sounds came through the speaker,

"Hey, Clint!" Tony's voice, "I've already called everyone. Be here at 4, Friday okay?" Before Clint had time to answer, the phone was hung up. He shook his head and put his phone on the side, checking the timer on the oven.

He sent Tony a message, telling him that he would ask Pietro and let him know.

Clint walked over, placing a soft kiss on Pietro's head. Pietro tilted his head back and grinned, stretching to place a peck on Clin't chin. He grimaced.

"You need to shave."

Clint scoffed, "And you need a shower." He teased. Pietro grimaced again before gently coaxing Lucky from where she had settled on his feet.

"Yeah, a shower does sound pretty good actually." He stood up gave one last scritch to Daisy.

"Well, you have plenty of time until dinner's ready."

Pietro nodded and made his way to the bedroom, grabbing some clothes before going into the bathroom. Clint heard the shower running and made his way back to the kitchen. He filled up the pets' food bowls and made sure they had fresh water.

When Pietro came back, now feeling more fresh and comfortable, he joined Clint at the dining table where the food was just being served.

"So, Steve called earlier."

Pietro hummed as he began to dig into his plate, listening to what Clint had to say.

"Him and Tony are planning a sort of... Christmas re-do? They want us to go over Friday. Tony's invited everyone over, so there's gonna be a lot of people. And if you're not feeling up to it, we don't have to go, obviously. It's completely up to you."

Pietro blinked, "A Christmas re-do?"

"Yeah, you know. You sorta missed Christmas, so they wanted to give you a chance to experience it."

Pietro thought as he chewed, "I'd... definitely like to meet everyone, I think. And I really wanna see Pete again."

"Are you sure, Pietro? You've been through a lot and-"

Pietro placed his hand on top of Clint's and squeezed gently.

"I'm sure. If I'm not feeling up to it on the day I'll let you know, I promise."

Clint nodded slowly, "Okay, I trust you." So he messaged Tony to let him know they were good for Friday.

Pietro paused, watching Clint for a moment before smiling softly, "You do know I'm Jewish though, right?"

Clint froze, blinking. Pietro snorted, covering his mouth with his hand as his shoulders shook with bitten down chuckles. Clint looked absolutely mortified. 

"Oh my gosh, Pietro I am so sorry, I didn't-"

Pietro laughed out loud, patting Clint's hand before going back to his food. "Clint, it's okay. Wanda and I fell out with our faith a long time ago. We're only half Jewish, on our Dad's side." He grinned and Clint sighed a relief. He thought he had been pushing a holiday onto Pietro when he didn't even celebrate it.

Clint flicked a piece of pasta at Pietro for scaring him.

The next three days were spent relaxing. Clint got back to work but he was otherwise beside Pietro, watching TV or scrolling through his phone, but he was always there, keeping an eye on Pietro.

Pietro didn't mind if he was honest.

Friday came by quickly and soon they were on their way to Tony's apartment. They had agreed there was no gift-giving as Clint had already given all the gifts on Christmas day and they had all be shared from him and Pietro. Any gifts for Pietro had been dropped off before he woke up and Clint had convinced him to open them when he felt like it.

Tony had messaged them earlier saying the plan was to have a meal and a couple of drinks, nothing too loud or boisterous both for Peter and Pietro's sake.

Everyone had been instructed to dress casually too. Pietro ended up stealing one of Clint's hoodies while Clint settled for a t-shirt and leather jacket.

"You still feeling okay about all of this?" Clint asked as the rode the elevator, shaking off the snow.

"Yeah... I mean, I'm a little nervous. There's a lot of people I haven't met yet but I'm excited." Pietro clutched on to the pie he had baked for dessert. "Yeah, I think I'm good." He decided with a nod. The elevator binged softly as the doors opened. They stepped out, and the first thing Pietro was hit with was the noise.

There was chattering, Christmas music playing between the gaps. And the smell, all different types of foods had been laid out. Everyone had brought their own dish to fill out the table, so there was plenty to chose from.

"Uncle Pietro!" Peter ran from the living room and Pietro almost dropped the pie with the force Peter hit his legs. Clint laughed and took the pie to put it with the rest of the food.

"Hey, Pete." Pietro scooped the boy up and hugged him tight, "I've missed you, detka."

Peter wrapped his arms around Pietro's neck and held on tight, "You're back! I came to see you in the hospital but you were asleep and I was really scared but I'm really glad you're all better now!" His voice sounded wet and Pietro's heart broke.

"I'm sorry, Pete, I didn't mean to worry you." He said softly and Peter pulled his head back enough to look at Pietro with sad eyes. He wiped his cheek with his small fist and sniffled. 

"Just don't do it again, okay?"

Pietro laughed, "Okay, I promise. I'm sorry I missed Christmas." He lowered Peter back to the ground and ruffled his hair gently as the boy seemed to settle a little with the promise, making Pietro shake pinky-fingers with him to seal the deal.

Peter shrugged, "It's okay. You needed rest to get better. Plus now we get a second Christmas!" He smiled and gave Pietro's legs another hug before he ran back over to the coffee table where he had left his DS.

Pietro took this as a moment to look around. There were a few unfamiliar faces around the kitchen table, most of them staring at him with kind or curious smiles. Clint came back over after hanging up his jacket.

"Come on, let me introduce you to everyone." Clint guided Pietro further into the spacious apartment and over to the kitchen. He rubbed small, comforting circles over Pietro's lower back as they approached.

"Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Pietro. Pietro, I'd like you to meet Carol, Bruce, Thor and Loki, T'challa and Bucky." He gestured around the room as he listed off the names. Pietro nodded slowly, trying to keep a track of which name belonged to who in his head. Nat, Sam and Wanda were also there.

"Uh, hi. It's nice to meet all of you." He scratched the back of his neck. He just hoped he didn't get anyone's names mixed up.

T'challa came over and shook his hand, a drink held in the other, "Pietro, it's nice to finally meet you. Tony has talked about you in a very high manner." He smiled, kind. He stood in a way that made Pietro think he was almost regal.

Clint shot a raised eyebrow at Tony.

Pietro nodded and smiled, "It's nice to meet you, too. All of you, actually."

"How are you feeling?" Bruce was the one to ask, who Pietro felt was a kind-looking man.

"Ah, I'm... good, really good, actually, all things considered." Pietro didn't know how much they all knew, what Tony or Clint had told them so he felt it best not to go into any detail. 

Bruce nodded, seemingly pleased with the answer. 

Tony clapped, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Alright! Now that everyone is here, let's eat! I'm starving." 

Everyone began to take their seats. The table had been extended so that it could fit everyone around it. All the food was placed towards the middle of the table while the outside was lined with plates, glasses and cutlery. Pietro didn't quite know what to do until he saw people being to take sections from whatever foods they wanted and pass it around the table for those who were sat further away. 

Glasses and plates were filled and soon the chatter began. Everyone was already so familiar with one another, chatting with ease and making inside jokes. Pietro felt like an outsider and a glance at his sister told him she was feeling the same. Nat tried to get Wanda involved too but it all felt pretty weird. 

Pietro found Bucky was a quiet man, whereas Carol was rather chatty and social and very good with Peter.

Thor was boisterous, the loudest at the table and Pietro found that the man was like a ray of bright sunshine. Loki, who he had learnt was related, was somewhat broody and reserved but made chit-chat with a certain mysterious charm. They were polar opposites, to say the least.

Steve talked a lot with Sam and Bucky while Tony seemed happy to catch up with Bruce. Clint later informed him that Bucky was a very old friend of Steve's while Bruce was a colleague to Tony, but had come to be one of his closest friends. 

Pietro then noticed another young boy at the table, besides Peter. The boy had a few visible scars on his face and was very energetic. Peter didn't seem to mind as the two played games together while eating. When he asked, Clint told him that the boy's name was Wade. a trouble-maker but Clint insisted the kid had a good heart. A girl was sat on the other side of Peter, Clint informed him she was T'challa's younger sister, Shuri. Apparently, the three got along well, very well in fact. Shuri and Peter both shared an interest in science.

T'challa was reserved but not in an unkind way. Similar to Loki, he socialised in a way that felt more sophisticated way. Bucky seemed to like talking with him. 

They were all kind, though, and Pietro felt very safe despite the large number of people. He engaged with them, feeling comfortable enough to do so with some encouragement from Clint. The others asked questions and he answered. They made jokes and laughed and Pietro felt his muscles relaxing as he enjoyed the food and drink. 

Clint watched as Pietro came out of his shell and socialised; he was proud. He thought about when he first met Pietro and how much he had flourished over the year. He had to take a sip from his glass to cover up his teary eyes. 

Once everyone had dessert, Tony made drinks for everyone and Natasha helped. Eggnog was served up; alcoholic for the adults and alcohol-free for the kids. Pietro stayed behind in the kitchen with Steve and T'challa to help clear the table and make a start on the dishes while everyone else moved to the living area of the apartment. Tony put some Christmas music on and Pietro noticed they even still had the decorations up. The tree, themed in gold and red with baubles and dancing lights, sat proudly in front of the window. There were tinsel and hanging decorations scattered around the whole apartment. 

Soon, everyone was sat in the living area around by the tree. The sofas and seats had been moved closer to the tree, allowing enough space for everyone to have a seat. Some sat on the floor, either on the rug or with some cushions. Pietro wandered over and smiled when Clint patted the spot on the floor beside him, right beside the tree, with a cushion at the ready. 

Tony had dimmed the main lights of the living area. It was already dark outside and Pietro watched as the snow shimmered in the light of the moon and streetlights. The room was illuminated in warm reds and gold from the tree as the lights dimmed and glowed in an unsynchronised rhythm. 

Clint watched as the lights moved across Pietro's face, reflecting in his bright eyes and hair. He was the most beautiful person Clint had ever seen, definitely one of the strongest too. He glanced at Nat across the circle of friends and family. She looked back at him, looked at Pietro before turning back to him. She smiled, encouraging and nodded discreetly.

Clint took a sip of his eggnog to give him some courage. He was going to do it. 

"Uhm, Pietro?"

He nudged his boyfriend softly to bring his attention away from the snow. 

"Yeah?"

Clint swallowed, Pietro was staring directly at him. Eyes blue and gorgeous and oh gosh was Clint madly in love with this man. 

"I, um... I want to ask you something." He cleared his throat and glanced around the room nervously. People were beginning to look, realising something was happening. 

Pietro sat up straight, holding his eggnog tight as he tilted his head slightly. 

"What is it?"

Clint swallowed again, throat dry as he reached out and grabbed Pietro's hand gently. He glanced at Nat again and she gave him a firm nod. Pietro glanced between them, curious. 

"Pietro," He started, "You are the most amazing person I have ever met. You are strong, you've been through so much and you... you didn't deserve any of it." 

Pietro nods along slowly.

"I love you, so, so, much. Um," He took a deep breath and chuckled, "God I had this whole speech prepared but I-" He paused and shook his head, "Sorry I'm not very good at this. Look, what I'm trying to do is- Pietro, I couldn't imagine my life without you. And seeing you in that hospital bed, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. So," Clint reached into his pocket and pulls out a silver-banded ring with three small blue stones. 

"Pietro, will you spend the rest of your life by my side?"

Pietro froze, eyes wide as he stared at the ring, then Clint. His eyes watered before he breathed out a laugh, nodding his head.

"Of course I will, you idiot."

Before Clint could blink he was being tackled to the ground in a tight hug and they were both laughing together. 

Everyone around the room cheered and once the two collected themselves they began to offer their congratulations. Clint sat up with Pietro and kissed him before he slipped the ring on with a joyful chuckle. The kids ran over excitedly, giving them hugs and wanting to look at the ring that Pietro now wore proudly around his finger. 

Pietro looked at Clint as Tony announced another road of drinks to celebrate. Clint looked back at Pietro and they both smiled.

They both knew everything was going to be okay.

Pietro knew he was finally where he was supposed to be in life, and he could never have done it without Clint.


End file.
